R 722  .L56  1920 
Lipphard,  William  B.  b. 
1886. 

The  ministry  of  healing 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/ministryofhealinOOIipp 


r>s> 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


THE  ■^4INISTRY  OF 
HEALING 

A STUDY  OF  MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  ENDEAVOR 
ON  BAPTIST  FOREIGN  MISSION  HELDS 


V 

WILLIAM  B.  LIPPHARD 


Associate  Secretary 

American  Baptiat  Foreign  Miuion  Society 


PUBUSHBD  BY 

THE  AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOQETY 


PHILADELPHIA 

BOSTON  CHICAGO  ST.  LOUIS  NEW  YORK 

LOS  ANGELES  KANSAS  CITY  SEATTLE  TORONTO 


Copyright,  1920,  by 
GILBERT  N.  BRINK,  Secretary 


Published  March,  1920 


INTRODUCTION 


This  study  is  not  intended  to  be  an  exhaustive 
treatise  on  the  subject  of  medical  missions.  As  the 
explanatory  subtitle  suggests,  it  is  intended  pri- 
marily to  be  a review  of  medical  missionary  en- 
deavor conducted  by  missionaries  of  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  and  the  Woman’s 
American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society.  The 
purpose  of  the  book  is  twofold,  namely,  to  furnish 
the  general  reader  with  information  regarding 
medical  work  on  Baptist  foreign  mission  fields  and 
to  supply  a brief  compendium  for  supplementary 
use  in  adult  classes  in  Baptist  Sunday  Schools,  in 
connection  with  a general  study  of  medical  missions. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  to  the  many 
missionaries,  from  whose  letters  and  reports  I have 
compiled  extracts  regarding  cases  under  their  ob- 
servation, etc.,  as  illustrative  material  for  this 
study.  The  name  of  the  missionary  has  in  every 
case  been  indicated  in  connection  with  statements 
or  facts  compiled  from  his  or  her  reports. 

The  manuscript  was  accepted  by  Rochester  Theo- 
logical Seminary  as  a thesis  for  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Divinity. 


CONTENTS 


CHArrsK  Page 

I,  The  Place  and  Importance  of  Medi- 
cine IN  THE  Missionary  Enterprise.  1 

II,  Types  of  Medical  Missionary  Service.  21 

III.  Unusual  Cases  in  the  Experience  of 

Baptist  Medical  Missionaries 51 

IV.  Medical  Missions  and  Evangelism....  69 

V.  Personnel  and  Equipment 87 

VI,  Needs  and  Opportunities 109 

Bibliography  123 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

1.  Convalescent  Patients  on  the  Mission  Hos- 

pital Veranda  at  Iloilo,  Philippine 
Islands  12 

2.  Dr.  Emilie  Bretthauer  and  her  Trained 

Nurses  in  Suifu,  West  China 12 

3.  Russian  Military  Patients  in  the  American 

Red  Cross  Typhus  Hospital  at  Petro- 
pavlovsk,  Siberia,  in  charge  of  Major 
H.  W.  Newman,  M.  D.  Note:  The  plate 
was  broken  during  the  confusion  when 
the  hospital  had  to  be  evacuated  sud- 
denly in  order  to  escape  the  Bolshevists . 28 

4.  Rev.  C.  E.  Bousfield  Conducting  a Country 

Clinic  in  Changning,  South  China 28 

5.  A Surgical  Patient  in  the  Philippine  Islands  64 

6.  A Poor  Chinese  Blind  Beggar,  whose  Sight 

was  restored  by  the  Missionary  Physician  64 

7.  Dr.  Catherine  L.  Mabie  Conducting  a Chil- 

dren’s Hour  in  Kimpese,  Belgian  Congo  76 

8.  Dr.  C.  E.  Tompkins  Preaching  in  his  Hos- 

pital at  Suifu,  West  China 76 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 


9.  Dr.  R.  C.  Thomas  Performing  an  Opera- 
tion in  his  Hospital  at  Iloilo,  Philippine 
Islands  96 

10.  A Dispensary  Clinic  in  Nalgonda,  South 

India  96 

11.  Nothing  but  a Mission  Hospital  for  Chil- 

dren can  Help  Cases  like  These 114 

12.  Patients  Awaiting  the  Arrival  of  the  Medi- 

cal Missionary  114 


CHAPTER  I 


THE  PLACE  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF 
MEDICINE  IN  THE  MISSIONARY 
ENTERPRISE 


And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages, 
teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gos- 
pel of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  every  disease  among 
the  people. — Matthew  9 : 35. 


CHAPTER  I 


The  Place  and  Importance  of  Medicine  in 
THE  Missionary  Enterprise 

The  foreign  mission  enterprise  today  presents 
four  general  types  of  missionary  activity.  Of  pri- 
mary importance  is  evangelism.  The  world  needs 
to  be  saved  from  its  sins — individual  as  well  as 
social — and  the  missionary  through  preaching, 
church  activity,  Christian  literature,  and  other 
means,  presents  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Saviour. 
Evangelism  must  be  accompanied  by  Christian  edu- 
cation. The  permanent  establishment  of  Chris- 
tianity on  the  foreign  field  will  be  most  quickly  real- 
ized where  adequate  provision  is  made  for  the 
development  of  a trained  leadership  and  an  edu- 
cated constituency.  A third  type  of  missionary  ac- 
tivity is  industrial  training.  Among  vast  multitudes 
of  people,  living  continually  on  the  border-land  of 
poverty,  facing  repeatedly  famine  and  starvation,  a 
self-supporting  church  is  impossible  unless  its  mem- 
bers, through  training  in  industry  and  agriculture, 
have  been  raised  from  penury  to  economic  inde- 
pendence. A fourth  type  of  activity  is  the  minis- 
try of  healing  and  the  work  of  the  missionary 
physician. 


[3] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


The  Divine  Origin  of  Medical  Missions 

Medical  missions  have  a divine  origin.  Preach- 
ing the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  and  healing  the  sick 
were  two  chief  characteristics  of  the  earthly  minis- 
try of  Jesus.  Although  the  modern  medical  mis- 
sionary receives  his  appointment  from  a Board,  he 
receives  his  commission  from  the  Great  Physician. 
Before  he  actually  began  his  work  Jesus  an- 
nounced as  his  program  that  he  had  come  “ to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  to  heal  the  broken- 
hearted, to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives  and 
recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty 
them  that  are  bruised.”  The  twelve  apostles  whom 
he  called  were  given  a twofold  task — they  were  to 
preach,  and  they  were  also  to  heal  the  sick. 

The  number  of  passages  in  the  Gospel  records 
calling  attention  to  the  healing  ministry  of  Jesus  is 
far  greater  than  the  average  reader  would  suppose. 
jWhat  a wonderful  picture  that  must  have  been 
at  the  close  of  the  day,  when  the  sun  had  set,  and 
the  Master,  fatigued  after  a weary  day’s  labor, 
would  come  to  the  door  for  a breath  of  fresh  air, 
only  to  discover  that  the  entire  city  had  gathered 
together  before  the  threshold,  bringing  all  who  were 
diseased,  anxiously  awaiting  his  healing  touch ! 
What  sights  of  human  misery  and  woe  he  must 
liave  witnessed  as  he  walked  through  those  Judean 
villages  and  the  people  laid  their  sick  in  the  streets 
through  which  he  passed,  beseeching  permission 
only  to  touch  but  the  border  of  his  garment ! What 

[4] 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


remarkable  faith  in  the  healing  power  of  this  Great 
Physician  was  manifested  by  those  four  men  who 
astounded  the  assembled  crowd  in  the  house  by 
lowering  their  sick  friend  through  the  roof ! We 
do  not  marvel  that  Jesus  was  moved  with  compas- 
sion. It  was  this  healing  ministry  of  which  the 
ancient  prophet  dreamed  when  he  said,  “ Himself 
took  our  infirmities  and  bore  our  sicknesses.”  The 
medical  missionary  is  continuing  this  healing  minis- 
try of  the  Great  Physician.  “ He  took  my  sick- 
ness into  his  own  heart,”  said  a patient  when  dis- 
charged from  a mission  hospital.  The  church  needs 
to  make  no  apology  for  medical  missions. 

The  Physical  Needs  of  the  Non-Christian  World 
Had  there  been  no  divine  command  to  heal  the  sick, 
the  church  of  Christ  would  nevertheless  be  com- 
pelled to  maintain  an  extensive  medical  missionary 
service  because  of  the  physical  needs  of  the  non- 
Christian  world.  We  can  not  behold  the  indescrib- 
able suffering  and  physical  distress  of  humanity 
in  the  Orient  without  being  touched  with  a feeling 
for  its  infirmities.  The  non-Christian  world  is  an 
unspeakably  sick  world  and  needs  relief.  Notwith- 
standing the  remarkable  efforts  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment in  checking  the  spread  of  disease  in  India, 
there  are  still  one  hundred  millions  of  people  in  that 
unhappy  country  beyond  the  reach  of  even  the  sim- 
plest medical  aid.  Can  any  one  possibly  imagine 
the  population  of  the  United  States  absolutely  de- 

[5] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


prived  of  all  recourse  to  medical  assistance?  Ninety 
out  of  every  one  hundred  people  who  die  in  the 
non-Christian  world  suffer  their  pain  and  agony  to 
the  end,  without  any  attention  on  the  part  of  a 
doctor  or  a nurse.  In  the  entire  province  of 
Szchuan,  China,  with  a population  of  sixty  million, 
there  are  today  only  two  hospitals  for  women  and 
children.  There  are  a thousand  walled  cities  in 
China  which  have  never  seen  a missionary  physi- 
cian. Baptist  missionaries  have  been  working  in 
Assam  for  eighty  years,  yet  there  are  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  people  who  never  have  the  min- 
istry of  a physician.  The  proportion  of  doctors  to 
the  population  in  the  United  States  averages  more 
than  one  to  a thousand,  whereas  on  Baptist  foreign 
mission  fields  there  is  generally  only  one  physician 
to  every  million  inhabitants.  In  the  Back  Bay  dis- 
trict of  Boston  one  can  find  the  offices  of  as  many 
as  fifteen  physicians  in  a single  city  block,  whereas 
in  China  a traveler  could  pass  through,  not  fifteen 
blocks,  but  fifteen  hundred  villages  and  find  no  evi- 
dence of  the  presence  of  a doctor.  About  ninety 
million  people  in  Africa  are  dependent  entirely  on 
their  witch-doctors  and  native  medicine-men  for  aid 
in  time  of  sickness. 

This  situation  is  all  the  more  appalling  when  we 
take  into  consideration  those  frightful  diseases 
which  sweep  across  vast  areas  in  the  Orient  and  by 
which  men,  women,  and  children  are  mowed  down 
like  stalks  of  grain  before  the  reaper.  Tuberculosis 

[6] 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS^ 


is  so  common  that  at  least  one  person  in  every  three 
is  afflicted  with  one  form  or  another  of  this  fearful 
plague.  The  influenza  epidemic  in  1918  exacted  a 
terrible  toll  in  America,  and  yet  it  is  estimated  that 
the  number  of  people  who  died  of  influenza  in  India 
exceeded  the  death  casualties  of  the  entire  war. 

The  influenza  epidemic  struck  us,  and  the  people  began 
to  die  off  like  flies.  There  was  more  work  to  do  than  could 
have  been  done  by  twenty  nurses.  We  all  know  what  a 
terrible  havoc  was  wrought  by  influenza  over  in  civilized, 
enlightened,  cleaned-up  America,  where  you  have  a doctor 
for  every  few  scores  of  people  and  people  who  can  read 
the  papers  and  profit  by  the  valuable  information  which 
they  contain  concerning  the  best  measures  for  prevention 
and  spread  of  disease.  So  perhaps  you  can’t  imagine  what 
it  was  like  over  here,  where  there  is  only  one  physician 
for  thousands  and  thousands  of  people;  where  there  is  no 
conception  of  hygiene  and  sanitation;  but  on  the  contrary 
an  actual  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  filth  and  often  prejudice 
against  cleanliness.  In  treating  a disease  which  called  for 
clean,  well-ventilated  rooms  we  had  to  treat  our  patients 
in  their  little  mud-hut  homes,  which  have  but  a single 
small  door  and  no  windows. — C.  R.  Manley,  M.  D.,  Ongole, 
South  India. 

Countless  multitudes  are  afflicted  and  die  of  great 
scourges  like  smallpox,  cholera,  leprosy,  and  other 
diseases  which  hardly  ever  come  within  the  observa- 
tion of  a general  practitioner  in  America.  Great 
numbers  are  stricken  with  ailments  peculiar  to  the 
Orient  and  the  tropics,  which  are  so  rare  in  America 
that  they  are  seldom  mentioned  in  medical  text- 
books. Accidents  and  complications  due  to  igno- 

[7] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


ranee  and  neglect  are  unusually  common  as  will  be 
observed  from  the  following  extracts  taken  from 
letters  and  reports  of  Baptist  missionaries : 

A man  had  been  left  in  the  hospital  during  the  night  in 
a pitiful  condition  by  his  brother  townsmen.  There  was 
no  skin  on  his  right  side  or  arm,  bone  and  nerves  all  ex- 
posed, here  and  there  hard,  charred  flesh,  and  over  all 
infection.  The  man,  suffering  from  fever  and  delirium, 
had  run  into  a roaring  grass  fire,  had  been  taken  to  the 
hospital,  and  left  with  neither  food  nor  money.  He  re- 
turned to  his  town,  four  or  five  days’  travel  away,  a well 
man,  to  tell  what  Christ  had  done  for  him  and  what  he 
got  in  the  chapel  services;  to  tell  the  difference  between 
the  love  that  had  cared  for  him  and  the  men  who  had 
fled,  leaving  him  to  die. — /.  C.  King,  M.  D.,  Banza  Man- 
teke,  Belgian  Congo. 

The  usual  epidemic  of  smallpox  was  on.  One  man 
last  year  lost  his  child  from  smallpox,  so  he  decided  that 
he  would  have  the  baby  vaccinated  this  year.  When  he 
brought  the  child  to  us  for  that  purpose,  the  smallpox 
papules  were  already  out  on  the  child’s  body.  When  we 
asked  him  why  he  waited  so  long  before  bringing  the 
child,  his  answer  was,  “We  waited  for  the  lucky  day.” 
He  buried  this  child  also. — Emilie  E.  Bretthauer,  M.  D., 
Suifu,  China. 

We  have  so  many  tumors  here,  and  some  of  them  are 
neglected  for  years.  One  abdominal  cyst  I removed  had 
ten  gallons  of  fluid,  besides  a large  amount  of  solid  tissue. 
The  people  wait  so  long  before  coming. — R.  C.  Thomas, 
M.  D.,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

The  influence  gained  over  the  people  by  the  use  of  medi- 
cines on  the  Congo  is  great.  A few  months  ago  Doctor 

[81 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


Leslie  found  a boy  with  a most  pitiful  case  of  yaws.  His 
face  and  mouth  were  covered  with  the  sores.  The  doctor 
persuaded  him  to  come  to  the  station.  The  yaws  yielded 
readily  to  treatment.  Several  weeks  later  he  was  taken 
back  to  his  village  as  an  advertisement.  The  missionary 
had  no  difficulty  in  securing  on  his  “ face  value  ” several 
boys  for  the  school. — H.  F.  Gilbert,  Vanga,  Belgian  Congo. 

Cases  that  are  unusual  and  interesting  from  a doctor’s 
standpoint  are  not  at  all  infrequent.  One  boy,  gored  by 
a buffalo,  was  brought  in  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
accident  with  a portion  of  the  pancreas  torn  and  pro- 
truding from  the  abdominal  rent.  Hot  saline  solution 
helped  the  boy  through  a very  serious  twenty-four  hours, 
and  then  he  made  an  uneventful  recovery. — A.  L.  Kennan, 
M.  D.,  Bhimpore,  Bengal-Orissa. 

Recently  a young  man  was  brought  to  us  with  a broken 
arm  of  some  days’  standing,  and  gangrene  had  already  set 
in.  We  tried  to  save  the  arm,  but  after  a day  or  two 
we  told  the  father  that  we  would  try  a little  longer  to  save 
it,  but  feared  it  would  have  to  be  amputated.  In  a short 
time  he  came  to  me  to  take  his  son  home.  I tried  to 
show  him  that  such  a course  meant  certain  death.  He 
replied:  “What  good  would  he  be  with  only  one  arm? 
He  might  as  well  die ! ’’  In  vain  I plead  for  one  or  two 
days  more  to  save  the  arm,  or  for  operation,  if  necessary, 
to  save  life.  The  young  man  was  taken  home. — J.  S. 
Timpany,  M.  D.,  Hanumakonda,  South  India. 

I found  a little  fellow  ten  years  old  who  had  fallen 
from  a winnowing-tower  at  harvest  time  and  thrown  his 
hip  out  of  joint.  He  was  walking  on  one  leg  and  a 
bamboo  stick  held  in  his  little  hands.  The  injured  leg 
was  dragging  helplessly  about.  Any  one  of  our  physi- 
cians could  have  restored  him  the  use  of  his  leg  in  a 

[9] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


few  moments  if  called  upon  when  the  accident  occurred. 
Think  of  that  boy’s  handicap  throughout  life  for  want 
of  a little  help  at  the  right  time! — Rev.  C.  E.  Chaney, 
Maubin,  Burma. 

A mother  came  to  the  hospital  dispensary  with  a babe 
in  her  arms.  The  infant  had  a large  encephalocele,  or 
“ brain  tumor,”  growing  from  the  cranial  cavity  at  the 
root  of  the  nose.  She  had  gone  to  some  one  who  had 
incised  the  tumor,  and  as  I looked  at  it  I saw  that  the 
child’s  life  was  probably  forfeited. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D., 
Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

Such  cases  and  any  number  of  others  which  could 
be  mentioned  demonstrate  beyond  question  the  phy- 
sical needs  of  the  non-Christian  world  and  the 
urgency  of  the  ministry  of  healing. 

Heathen  Remedies  and  Methods  of  Treatment 

Conditions  are  made  all  the  more  deplorable  and 
tragic  through  malpractice  and  the  frightful  reme- 
dies used  by  the  heathen  population.  Sanitation 
and  hygiene  are  unknown.  Thousands  of  people, 
in  order  to  cure  various  maladies,  drink  foul,  green, 
scum-covered  water  from  a pool  or  sacred  stream, 
in  which  these  same  thousands  have  previously 
bathed  and  washed  their  clothes.  Heathen  remedies 
for  disease  are  unspeakably  cruel,  savagely  barbar- 
ous, producing  intense  agonies.  They  seldom  cure, 
almost  invariably  aggravate  the  disease,  and  fre- 
quently kill  the  patient.  The  task  of  the  medical 
missionary  is  unusually  difficult  because  so  often  he 
is  called  upon  to  treat  patients  on  whom  heathen 

[10] 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


‘ quacks  and  witch-doctors  have  used  all  their  reme- 
dies in  vain,  and  the  missionary  is  summoned  as  a 
last  resort. 

The  following  extracts  from  reports  of  Baptist 
missionaries  describe  actual  cases  under  their  ob- 
servation. These  extracts  reveal  more  forcibly  than 
any  general  description  the  fearful  remedies  of 
heathenism  and  the  distressing  need  of  medical  mis- 
sions : 

I was  called  to  the  side  of  a man  suffering  from  con- 
vulsions, and  found  him  stretched  out  on  a plank  flat  on 
his  back.  On  the  pit  of  his  stomach  was  another  large 
man,  balancing  himself  on  his  knuckles  and  knees,  vainly 
trying  to  gouge  out  the  food  and  pain.  It  was  no  surprise 
to  learn  that  the  patient  died  within  half  an  hour. — Rev. 
C.  E.  Chaney,  Maubin,  Burma. 

The  picture  of  a little  child  comes  to  me.  She  was  a 
pretty  little  child,  but  totally  blind.  Some  friend  had  put 
something  into  the  eyes  when  she  was  ill  and  ruined  them. 
It  was  well  meant,  but  it  spoiled  her  life.  There  was  no 
cure. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  a man  was  introduced  to  us 
who  had  been  a paralytic  for  two  years.  He  had  been 
given  six  poisonous  snakes  to  eat  as  a cure,  but  of  course 
he  did  not  obtain  results,  and  he  immediately  came  for- 
ward, asking  us  to  treat  him. — C.  B.  Lesher,  M.  D., 
Chaoyang,  South  China. 

In  the  first  village  which  I entered  I found  the  old 
chief  stretched  out  on  a skin  in  the  center  of  his  house. 
A young  man  was  gashing  his  temples  with  an  old  case- 

[11] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


knife  and  sucking  the  blood  through  the  horn  of  an  an- 
telope. This  treatment  was  given  for  a headache.  I sub- 
stituted some  good  advice  and  a good  dose  of  medicine. — 
J.  E.  Ceil,  Banza  Manteke,  Belgian  Congo. 

The  Chinese  profess  to  heal  dog  bites  by  writing  char- 
acters on  the  wound;  to  heal  sores  by  writing  characters 
with  the  claw  of  a wild  beast  on  the  abscess ; to  cure 
trachoma  by  making  passes  and  reciting  charms,  and  to 
cure  rheumatism  by  drinking  monkey  and  bear  bones  in 
wine.  They  chew  the  bones  of  deer  and  dog  meat  for  a 
tonic;  swallow  a stone  for  accelerating  child-birth;  and 
eat  mud  from  the  center  of  the  fireplace  for  the  cure  of 
palpitation  of  the  heart. — W.  R.  Morse,  M.  D.,  Suifu, 
West  China. 

A young  man,  struck  down  in  his  vigorous  active  life 
by  lockjaw,  came  to  the  hospital  to  die,  because  some  one 
had  made  incisions  in  his  legs  and  put  in  balls  of  wax 
and  tallow  as  medical  treatment,  thereby  infecting  him 
with  the  germ  of  tetanus. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo, 
Philippine  Islands. 

Recently  a seven-year-old  boy  was  brought  in  with  a 
fractured  arm.  His  relatives  had  tied  a ligature  around 
the  site  of  the  broken  bones,  stopping  all  circulation. 
When  it  began  to  look  bad  they  had  called  in  a native 
quack,  who,  making  a paste  of  corrosive  sublimate  and 
some  other  wonderful  ingredient,  plastered  it  over  the 
arm  from  the  wrist  to  the  elbow.  When  the  tortured 
child  reached  us  little  was  left  but  rotting  flesh  clinging 
to  ruined  bone.  For  thirteen  dreadful  days  we  dressed 
the  arm,  with  death  always  imminent,  while  permission  to 
amputate  was  refused.  At  last  the  uncle  gave  consent  to 
operate.  During  the  long  weeks  which  followed,  I never 
saw  more  patient  endurance,  and,  to  our  joy,  the  boy 

[12] 


Convalescent  Patients  on  the  Mission  Hospital  Veranda 
at  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands 


Dr.  Emilie  Bretthauer  and  her  Trained  Nurses 
in  Suifu,  West  China 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


ji  went  home  well. — Mrs.  F.  W.  Stait,  M.  D.,  Udayagiri, 
i South  India. 

I watched  an  enterprising  Chinese  doctor  not  long  ago. 
A good-sized  crowd  had  gathered  under  a huge  umbrella 
at  the  side  of  the  street.  Leopard-skins,  monkey-,  and 
beaver-skins  were  hanging  from  the  top  of  the  umbrella, 
and  as  I peered  through  the  circle  of  onlookers  I saw  a 
pile  of  bones  and  monkey  skeletons  on  the  ground.  The 
man  was  talking  in  a most  energetic  fashion.  Every  lit- 
tle while  he  would  bend  down,  pick  up  a monkey  skeleton 
and  rub  it  on  a big,  broad  file.  Then  he  would  take  a 
tiger’s  foot,  or  some  other  bone,  mix  up  the  “ bone-dust,” 
fold  it  up  in  a paper  like  a prescription  powder,  and  sell 
it  to  a waiting  patient. — C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu, 
West  China. 

The  Hindu  method  of  cure  was  to  shave  the  top  of  the 
head,  make  a hole  in  the  scalp,  and  rub  into  it  a rank 
poison.  Then  the  whole  thing  was  plastered  up  with  a 
preparation  of  lime  so  that  none  of  the  poison  should 
escape.  It  seemed  such  a pity  to  see  strong  young  men 
dying  from  maltreatment.  One  day  that  I spent  in  a dis- 
tant village  helping  the  sick  I shall  never  forget.  The 
misery  and  helplessness  of  the  people  were  almost  more 
than  I could  stand.  Beds,  with  three  and  four  occupants, 
all  helpless,  and  no  one  to  care  for  them.  The  sanitary 
conditions  were  most  dreadful. — Lillian  V.  Wagner,  Rama- 
patnam.  South  India. 

When  I arrived  the  house  and  yard  were  filled  with 
people,  perhaps  seventy-five  in  all.  The  patient  was  a 
young  man  of  about  twenty  years,  who  had  been  seized 
with  a bad  attack  of  fever.  His  room  was  one  of  the 
small,  dark,  unventilated  rooms  which  are  typical  of  the 
native  houses.  As  soon  as  he  was  carried  out  into  the 

[13] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


inner-court  veranda  I saw  that  his  case  was  hopeless. 
The  life  was  slowly  ebbing  away,  more  as  the  result  of 
the  treatment  than  the  disease.  High  fever  for  two  weeks, 
no  bath,  very  little  if  any  water  to  drink,  and  too  sick 
to  take  nourishment.  Shortly  before  I arrived  the  native 
doctor  had  left,  after  having  shaved  the  top  of  the  patient’s 
head  and  piling  thereon  pulverized  medicines  and  burn- 
ing them! — /.  W.  Stenger,  M.  D.,  Hanumakonda,  South 
India. 

Recently  a “ so-called  ” wonder-working  doctor,  to  whom 
hordes  have  been  flocking  to  be  cured  of  blindness,  chronic 
tuberculosis,  and  other  incurable  diseases,  has  been  treat- 
ing them  with  sugar,  water,  native  beer,  and  milk.  I 
have  done  medical  work  in  the  slums  of  New  York  City, 
in  a precinct  so  densely  populated  that  it  boasted  more 
people  than  any  city  in  the  State  of  New  York  except 
Buffalo,  and  there  I never  saw  such  things  as  I see  daily 
here. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

All  too  often  when  a patient’s  very  life  depends  on 
complete  rest  and  undisturbed  sleep,  I have  found  the 
patient’s  friends  and  relatives  doing  ever3l:hing  they  could 
to  keep  the  patient  from  sleeping,  and  when  I expostulate 
with  them  and  ask  them  why  they  are  raising  such  a 
rumpus  and  keeping  the  sick  person  from  sleeping,  they 
tell  me  that  they  are  fearful  lest  the  sleep  of  rest  turn 
into  the  sleep  of  death.  They  tliink  that  by  keeping  sleep 
off  they  are  keeping  death  off  also.  In  order  to  keep  the 
patient  awake  they  will  resort  to  any  measure  which  will 
carry  out  their  purpose,  talking  to  the  sick  and  compelling 
them  to  answer,  beating  tom-toms  or  making  any  other 
disconcerting  noise  they  can  think  of ; pinching,  pricking, 
or  burning  the  skin,  but  most  frequent  of  all  is  the  cus- 
tom of  putting  mixtures  containing  ground  mustard,  pep- 
per, etc.,  into  the  eyes.  And  if  you  could  once  see  a 

[14] 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


pair  of  eyes  that  had  been  treated  that  way  you  would 
readily  understand  why  that  method  was  such  a success- 
ful sleep-preventer,  and  therefore  so  popular  with  the 
Indian  people.  Untold  anguish  follows  this  terrible  cus- 
tom, and  it  is  directly  responsible  for  thousands  of  cases 
of  blindness  every  year. — C.  R.  Manley,  M.  D.,  Ongole, 
South  India. 

One  young  man  of  about  twenty-two  years  was  carried 
in  almost  dead,  as  the  result  of  treatment  by  native  doc- 
tors. For  an  attack  of  fever  and  partial  paralysis  they 
had  given  him  mercury  and  other  strong  medicines  in 
measured  doses,  and  also,  according  to  native  custom,  they 
had  burned  him  with  a hot  iron,  leaving  great  sores  across 
his  forehead,  shoulders,  chest,  and  ankles.  Such  cases 
are  very  common,  especially  out  in  the  villages  where  peo- 
ple have  not  come  in  contact  much  with  missionaries. 
After  several  weeks’  treatment  this  case  went  home  very 
much  improved. — J.  W.  Stenger,  M.  D.,  Ongole,  South 
India. 

We  work  in  a land  where  the  only  remedy  for  hydro- 
phobia is  to  take  cantharides,  which  permanently  injures 
the  kidneys,  or  to  eat  the  flesh  of  the  mad  dog;  where  a 
needle  of  two  or  three  inches  in  length  that  has  never 
been  sterilized  is  used  most  commonly  “ to  allow  the  bad 
air  that  causes  the  disease  ” to  escape  by  inserting  it  full 
length  into  the  eyes,  joints,  abdomen,  neck,  etc.,  for  the 
Chinese  doctor  claims  there  are  over  three  thousand  places 
where  it  is  “safe”(?)  to  do  this  acupuncture;  where 
they  vaccinate  by  taking  the  scab  of  a sore  from  a small- 
pox patient,  powder  it  up,  and  blow  the  powder  up  the 
nose  of  the  young  baby;  where  the  rotten  wood  of  a 
coffin  is  used  for  medicine;  where  bones  of  dogs,  tigers, 
bears,  deer,  etc.,  are  used  for  tonic  medicine;  where  peo- 
ple seek  relief  from  a god  of  clay,  for  there  are  gods  for 

[15] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


lice,  fever,  boils,  and  all  other  ills. — IV.  R.  Morse,  M.  D., 
Suifu,  China. 

Custom  forbids  their  giving  a bath  to  a sick  person  until 
the  illness  has  terminated.  We  often  find  the  patient  in- 
describably filthy.  His  relatives  almost  invariably  plaster 
some  portion  of  the  patient’s  body  with  mud  or  cow-dung, 
to  which  they  have  added  saffron  or  some  other  dye  or 
medicinal  herb.  If  the  patient  is  in  great  pain  there  is  a 
custom  of  burning  him  about  the  face  or  body  with  red- 
hot  irons,  so  that  we  often  find  the  treatment  of  a case 
complicated  by  a badly  infected  burned  area. — C.  R.  Man- 
ley,  M.  D.,  Ongole,  South  India. 

Two  cases  of  general  peritonitis  came  in  moribund. 
One  case  was  a man  who  staggered  into  the  office  in  agony. 
After  three  days  of  mortal  pain  he  came,  too  late  for 
operation.  He  was  dead  in  a few  hours.  The  other  case 
was  even  more  pathetic.  It  was  that  of  a child  who  had 
been  ill  for  eight  days.  The  day  before  strong  native 
medicines  had  been  given,  and  now  it  was  too  late.  They 
took  her  home  to  die. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo, 
Philippine  Islands. 

A boy  of  ten  years  was  gored  by  an  infuriated  bull. 
The  village  surgeon,  the  barber,  was  called.  His  surgical 
outfit  consisted  of  a coarse  needle  and  yarn  dyed  with 
indigo.  While  men  forcibly  held  the  boy,  the  surgeon 
sew^ed  up  the  wound.  Three  days  later  symptoms  of  blood- 
poison  appeared.  The  anxious  relatives  carried  him  on 
a bed  to  the  hospital.  Chloroform  instead  of  force. 
Western  surgical  appliances  and  methods,  and  a happ3% 
bright  boy  running  about  the  hospital  grounds,  while 
the  healing  process  went  on ! Grateful  relatives  now 
listen  day  after  day  to  the  gospel  message. — J.  S.  Tim- 
pany,  M.  D.,  Hanumakonda,  South  India. 

[16] 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


The  Medical  Missionary  Indispensable 

The  service  of  the  missionary  physician  is  essen- 
tial to  the  very  existence  and  development  of  the 
Christian  church  on  the  foreign  field.  Christianity 
can  not  prosper  in  communities  whose  inhabitants 
are  doomed  to  lifelong  misery,  suffering,  and  despair 
because  of  their  unsanitary  methods  of  living.  A 
church  in  a village  continually  at  the  mercy  of  re- 
curring plagues  and  epidemics,  because  proper 
medical  aid  is  inaccessible,  faces  a most  uncertain 
and  precarious  future.  A Sunday  School  can  rarely 
report  great  progress  on  the  foreign  field  if  nothing 
is  done  to  reduce  the  high  child  mortality.  The 
educational  missionary  finds  that  it  is  just  as  neces- 
sary, in  fact  more  so,  to  have  the  pupils  in  his 
schools  protected  by  vaccination  against  smallpox, 
as  it  is  in  the  big  American  cities.  No  imagination 
is  necessary  to  picture  the  results  in  the  work  of  a 
struggling  church  in  a village  in  India,  if  several 
of  its  leading  members  were  stricken  with  influenza 
and  died  because  medical  assistance  was  not  avail- 
able. 

Furthermore,  the  missionaries  themselves  are  not 
immune  to  sickness  and  require  medical  attention. 
Only  those  who  have  lived  in  tropical  climates  can 
understand  the  fearful  strain  to  which  the  human 
organism  is  subjected  by  continual  residence  in 
regions  whose  climate  and  environment  are  so  dif- 
ferent from  those  in  the  temperate  zones.  It  is  not 
only  a waste  of  denominational  money,  but  it  is 

[17] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


unpardonable  negligence  to  send  foreign  mission- 
aries to  remote  regions  in  tropical  countries  and 
expect  them  to  live  and  labor  there  without  some 
provision  for  medical  attention.  A double  tragedy 
in  the  family  of  one  of  our  Baptist  missionaries 
would  substantiate  this  statement.  The  two  young 
sons  of  the  missionary  became  ill,  and  the  nearest 
physician  was  sixty  miles  away.  There  was  no 
conveyance  in  which  to  bring  him  except  a bullock- 
cart  whose  speed  averaged  three  miles  per  hour. 
Before  he  arrived  the  boys  had  died. 

The  medical  missionary’s  work  is  also  an  indis- 
pensable agency  in  evangelism.  His  ministry  is  one 
of  the  clearest  proofs  to  the  Oriental  mind  of  the 
reality  and  the  disinterestedness  of  our  religion.  As 
will  be  seen  in  a later  chapter,  the  missionary  doctor 
is  an  incalculable  factor  in  the  healing  of  the  soul. 

Medical  Missions  and  World  Health 

Although  considering  in  this  survey  only  the  work 
of  Baptist  medical  missionaries,  we  must  not  omit  at 
least  brief  reference  to  the  remarkable  contribu- 
tion which  medical  missions  have  made  to  medical 
science  and  world  health.  The  world  owes  a debt 
of  gratitude  to  the  medical  missionary.  He  has 
added  much  to  the  medical  knowledge  concerning 
cataract,  elephantiasis,  leprosy,  and  a score  and 
more  of  diseases  which  were  relatively  unknown 
before  the  beginnings  of  medical  missions.  Modem 
schools  of  tropical  medicine  in  England  and  America 

[18] 


MEDICINE  IN  MISSIONS 


have  profited  much  by  the  contributions  to  the  un- 
derstanding of  tropical  diseases  made  by  medical 
missionaries. 

Into  the  East  these  medical  missionaries  have  intro- 
duced anesthetics,  which  abolish  pain;  vaccination,  which 
banishes  smallpox,  and  the  intelligent  treatment  of  other 
epidemics  (for  example,  the  plague  and  cholera,  which 
make  such  awful  havocs  in  the  teeming  centers  of  Oriental 
life),  and  antiseptic  surgery,  which  saves  thousands  of 
lives  and  untold  suffering.  But  the  West,  as  well  as  the 
East,  owes  not  a little  to  the  medical  missionary.  Per- 
haps the  one  most  useful  drug  in  medicine  is  quinine,  and 
the  world  owes  it  to  the  Jesuit  missionaries  of  South 
America.  Before  the  chemists  extracted  its  active  prin- 
ciple it  was  originally  administered  as  the  pulverized  bark 
of  the  cinchona  tree,  and  was  popularly  known  as  “Jesuits’ 
bark”;  while  Calabar  bean,  the  Kola  nut,  and  Strophan- 
thus,  valuable  modem  remedies,  we  owe  to  Doctor  Nas- 
sau, an  African  missionary. — W.  W.  Keen,  M.  D. 

Thus  the  medical  missionary  holds  a pivotal  place 
in  the  missionary  enterprise.  He  exemplifies  to  the 
non-Christian  world  the  Great  Physician;  he  opens 
countless  doors  to  the  gospel,  which  would  otherwise 
be  closed;  he  ministers  to  a world  whose  suscepti- 
bility to  disease  is  beyond  all  comprehension;  he  is 
doing  a work  which  requires  and  deserves  the 
heartiest,  prayerful,  and  generous  support  of  the 
Christian  church.  No  one  can  take  issue  with  the 
National  Conference  of  Missionaries  for  adopting 
in  Shanghai  in  March,  1913,  the  following  declara- 
tion : 


[19] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Medical  missions  are  to  be  regarded,  not  merely  as  a 
temporary  expedient  for  opening  the  way  for  and  extend- 
ing the  influence  of  the  gospel,  but  as  an  integral,  co- 
ordinate, and  permanent  part  of  the  missionary  work  of 
the  Christian  church/ 


1 Quoted  by  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  in  “The  Social  Aspects  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions," page  138. 


[20J 


CHAPTER  II 


TYPES  OF  MEDICAL  MISSIONARY 
SERVICE 


And  at  even,  when  the  sun  did  set,  they  brought 
unto  him  all  that  were  diseased,  and  them  that  were 
possessed  with  devils. 

And  all  the  city  was  gathered  together  at  the  door. 

And  he  healed  many  that  were  sick  of  divers  dis- 
eases, and  cast  out  many  devils. — Mark  i : 32-34. 


CHAPTER  II 


Types  of  Medical  Missionary  Service 

In  recent  years  there  has  been  a decided  tendency 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  toward  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  specialists  and  a decrease  in  general 
practitioners.  It  is  possible  to  find  in  our  large 
cities  today  a specialist  in  the  treatment  of  almost 
every  known  disease.  The  old-fashioned  family 
doctor,  who  knew  the  clinical  history  of  all  his 
patients  and  who  treated  them  for  every  ailment 
from  childhood  up,  is  now  found  only  in  the  smaller 
towns  and  villages  and  in  the  country  districts.  Al- 
most every  student  in  a medical  school  before  grad- 
uation considers  seriously  the  prospect  of  a profes- 
sional career  as  a specialist.  Many  a patient  has 
had  the  trying  experience  of  being  sent  from  one 
doctor  to  another  until  the  specialist  for  his  par- 
ticular ailment  has  been  found.  Major  and  minor 
surgery,  pulmonary  ailments,  digestive  troubles, 
nervous  disorders,  contagious  diseases,  children’s 
diseases — all  these  and  others  have  their  specialists. 

Types  of  Medical  Missionary  Service 

Usually  no  such  differentiation  between  special 
and  general  practice  is  possible  on  the  foreign  field. 

[23] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


The  medical  missionary,  because  of  the  overwhelm- 
ing needs  of  the  people  and  the  scarcity  of  doctors, 
must  be  prepared  to  treat  every  type  of  human  ail- 
ment. During  the  course  of  a single  day’s  work, 
the  average  medical  missionary  in  China  or  India 
probably  meets  more  terrible  conditions  of  disease 
and  a greater  variety  of  cases  than  the  average 
American  physician  is  likely  to  meet  in  the  course 
of  a week’s  practice. 

About  the  doors  of  the  mission  dispensary  gathers  the 
same  crowd  which  lined  the  street  outside  Jesus’  door  at 
Capernaum.  A lone  gray-haired  grandmother  will  sit  and 
switch  the  flies  from  a malignant  ulcer  upon  her  leg  as  she 
awaits  her  turn.  A mother  will  offer  her  doling  breast 
to  quiet  the  peevish  moan  of  a hydrocephaloid  baby  while 
she  herself  presents  the  deathly  pallor  of  the  hookworm 
anemia.  A young  man  from  the  higher  schools,  with 
sunken  chest  and  hollow  cheeks,  will  cough  his  life  away, 
and,  if  not  watched,  expectorate  tuberculosis  mucus  upon 
the  floor.  Men  and  women  even  now  in  the  throes  of 
the  malarial  paroxysm  await  their  turn;  a young  girl, 
whose  blind  eyes,  covered  with  nebulous  scars,  speak  elo- 
quently of  early  neglect,  gropes  her  way  to  the  door. 
Tumors  and  deformities  present  fascinating  possibilities 
to  the  surgeon.  Cases  advanced  in  disease  almost  beyond 
civilized  conception  appear.  The  need  is  an  appalling  ap- 
peal ! — P.  H.  J.  Lerrigo,  M.  D. 

The  extracts  from  the  letters  of  Baptist  medical 
missionaries,  which  appear  in  this  chapter,  indicate 
the  types  of  service  which  they  are  called  upon  to 
render,  and  the  conditions  under  which  they  minis- 
ter the  healing  art  of  the  missionary  physician. 

[24] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


! Surgery 

, The  medical  missionary  frequently  makes  a more 
I profound  impression  as  a surgeon  than  as  a phy- 
! sician.  The  non-Christian  world  has  used  native 
medicines  for  centuries  generally  in  vain  and  there- 
I fore  requires  considerable  time  for  developing  con- 
I fidence  in  the  medicines  of  the  foreigner,  whereas 
I surgery  is  relatively  unknown.  Furthermore,  under 
j prophylactic  and  medical  treatments  long  periods  of 
time  are  necessary,  while  surgery  generally  gives 
immediate  and  visible  relief. 

A fracture  is  placed  in  a splint,  an  abscess  is  opened,  a 
carbuncle  excised,  a tumor  removed  with  immediate  relief 
of  pain,  permitting  sleep  when  this  has  not  been  possible 
for  weeks;  discomfort  disappears,  and  the  eye  sees  what 
has  been  done.  The  Chinese  use  drugs  in  abundance,  and 
think  they  are  skilful  with  them,  but  they  know  nothing 
about  surgery.  Hence  they  have  far  more  confidence  in 
the  surgery  of  the  foreign  physician  than  in  his  medicine. 
— /.  C.  Humphreys,  M.  D.,  Yachowfu,  West  China. 

Some  recent  surgical  cases  have  been  of  interest.  An 
old  lady  of  sixty-six  was  operated  upon  for  a huge  der- 
moid cyst  a few  days  ago.  The  whole  tumor  nearly  filled 
a five-gallon  Standard  Oil  tin.  The  old  lady  is  doing 
nicely.  She  is  so  happy  to  be  rid  of  this  great  burden 
that  she  has  carried  for  twenty-eight  years. — R.  C.  Thomas, 
M.  D.,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

Upon  our  return  to  Ikoko  on  Christmas  eve  we  found 
a patient,  on  whom  we  had  to  operate  immediately  if  we 
were  to  save  his  life.  We  did  the  operation  in  a shanty 
which  I sometimes  indicate  as  “ The  Laboratory  ” ; a lean- 

[25] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


to,  9 by  12  feet.  The  operation  was  successful,  and  the 
patient  was  discharged  two  weeks  later.  This  did  much 
to  clear  away  a lot  of  superstitious  beliefs. — Hjalmar 
Ostrom,  M.  D.,  Ikoko,  Congo. 

A man  was  brought  in  with  fifteen  inches  of  his  intes- 
tines protruding  from  a wound  in  his  abdomen.  A num- 
ber of  Chinese  doctors,  some  of  them  without  even  wash- 
ing their  hands,  had  tried  in  vain  to  replace  the  intestines. 
Mrs.  Lesher  (also  a physician)  and  her  Chinese  assistants 
cleansed  the  wound,  replaced  the  badly  mangled  intestine, 
sewed  him  up,  and  the  man  is  alive  today. — C.  B.  Lesher, 
M.  D.,  Chaoyang,  China. 

Often  those  who  trust  themselves  in  my  hands  do  so 
with  trepidation.  A schoolboy  had  a very  swollen  in- 
fected hand  which  was  extremely  painful.  I explained 
about  the  anesthetic.  After  much  persuasion,  though  not 
fully  convinced  that  it  was  sleep  without  sensation  of 
pain  and  not  real  death,  he  allowed  himself  to  be  anes- 
thetized, and  I operated  on  his  infected  hand.  Coming 
out  from  under  the  influence  of  the  chloroform,  his  sub- 
conscious mind  somehow  remembering  that  the  doctor 
knew  English  best,  he  said,  to  the  amusement  of  all 
present,  in  a drowsy  voice  and  with  a note  of  finalitj’ 
about  it,  " I — now — dead — am.” — J.  A.  Ahlquist,  M.  D., 
Tura,  Assam. 

The  emergency  case  was  that  of  a ten-year-old  boy 
gored  in  the  abdomen  by  a carabao.  He  came  to  us  twelve 
and  a half  hours  after  the  accident  and  died  shortly  after. 
The  parents  had  been  to  the  parish  priest  and  asked  the 
use  of  his  automobile  to  bring  the  child  to  us,  and  were 
refused;  so  he  was  carried  in  a hammock.  Isn’t  it  pitiful 
that  they  wait  so  long?  I think  his  life  might  have  been 
saved  had  he  been  brought  earlier. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D., 
Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 


[26] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


Within  a few  months  we  have  had  nearly  three  hundred 
operations.  Surgery  is  new  to  these  people,  and  many  of 
the  cases  have  spent  weeks  or  months  or  years  in  a vain 
quest  for  relief.  They  have  gone  first  to  the  native  medi- 
cine men,  and  then  to  the  idols,  and  so  back  and  forth, 
until  perchance  they  hear  of  some  other  case  who  has 
been  helped  by  us,  and  finally  they  come.  A great  many 
have  lost  all  chance  of  cure  by  their  delay.  A well-ad- 
vanced cancer  case  came  in  a few  days  ago  with  a great 
string  of  charms  from  different  idols  hung  about  his  neck 
and  a small  bale  of  prescriptions  from  native  healers.  If 
he  had  come  to  us  a month  or  two  sooner  we  could  have 
helped  him  back  to  health. — H.  W.  Newnian,  M.  D.,  Ung- 
kung.  South  China. 

For  Motherhood  and  Childhood 

The  high  infant  mortality  and  the  terrible  experi- 
ences of  women  in  the  non-Christian  world  when 
passing  through  the  supreme  ordeal  of  their  lives 
make  the  service  of  the  medical  missionary  at  such 
a time  of  exceptional  urgency.  In  India  only  the 
most  ignorant  women,  of  low  caste  and  of  filthy 
habits,  will  act  as  midwives.  The  dangers  of  infec- 
tion are  appalling.  The  agonies  and  sufferings  in 
the  all  too  frequent  difficult  cases  are  unspeakable. 
Thousands  of  women  and  children  in  the  non- 
Christian  world  voice  their  unending  gratitude  to 
American  Baptists  for  sending  them  these  modern 
followers  of  the  Great  Physician  at  a time  when 
their  services  are  so  sorely  needed. 

In  the  midst  of  a busy  clinic  a Chinese  woman  came  to 
me  in  great  distress.  Her  daughter-in-law,  a mere  girl, 

[27] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


had  brought  a little  life  into  the  world  four  days  before. 
She  lived  in  a village  about  fifteen  Chinese  miles  from 
Kinhwa.  As  it  is  contrary  to  Chinese  custom  for  a male 
physician  to  attend  such  a case,  the  poor  girl  had  only 
the  assistance  of  a dirty  old  woman.  The  brute  force 
she  used  to  overcome  the  difficulties  met  with  at  the  time 
resulted  in  a terrible  injury  to  the  little  mother.  The 
woman  came  for  some  medicine  for  the  girl  to  eat,  so 
as  to  relieve  her  agony  and  heal  the  wounds.  I knew 
from  what  the  woman  told  me  that  no  medicine  was 
needed,  and  leaving  the  dispensary  patients  in  care  of  my 
assistants,  I mounted  my  bicycle  and  hurried  out  to  the 
home  in  the  country.  Bicycle  riding  in  China  is  some- 
what different  from  that  at  home.  The  roads  are  mostly 
mere  paths  between  the  rice-fields,  and  a fall  either  side 
is  into  mud  and  water.  In  fact,  on  my  return  from  this 
trip  I took  a tumble,  which  resulted  in  the  breaking  of 
three  or  four  spokes  in  the  front  wheel.  Arriving  at  the 
house,  I called  for  hot  water  to  wash  up,  and  boldly  asked 
to  see  the  sufferer,  not  knowing  whether  I would  be  al- 
lowed to  examine  her.  I was  not  opposed,  however,  for 
the  poor  girl  was  suffering,  so  she  was  willing  for  any- 
thing. I found  her  in  a room  so  dark  that  I had  to 
light  my  bicycle  lamp  before  I could  see  her  at  all.  She 
was  lying  on  a bed  of  boards  and  was  covered  with  a 
dirty  cotton  quilt.  Dust  and  dirt  and  darkness;  microbes 
in  and  on  everything,  including  the  girl  and  her  baby,  by 
the  million ! I found  her  in  a worse  condition  than  I 
had  even  suspected,  and  doing  what  little  I could  to  make 
her  more  comfortable,  I insisted  they  bring  her  the  next 
day  to  the  hospital  for  operation  as  soon  as  we  could  get 
her  into  condition  to  operate.  She  and  her  little  boy 
came  the  next  afternoon,  and  she  has  had  every  care  and 
attention  we  could  give  any  one  either  at  home  or  here. 
What  a change  it  must  have  been  to  her  to  come  into  a 
clean,  bright  room,  with  its  white  enamel  bed,  clean  sheets, 

[28] 


Russian  Military  Patients  in  the  American  Red  Cross  Typhus 
Hospital  at  Petropavlosk,  Siberia,  in  charge  of  Major  H.  W. 
Newman,  M.  D. 

Note,  The  plate  was  broken  during  the  confusion  when  the  hospital  had  to  be 
evacuated  suddenly  in  order  to  escape  the  Bolshevists. 


Rev.  C.  E.  Bousfield  Conducting  a Country  Clinic 
in  Changning,  South  China 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


and  blankets,  and  to  have  the  care  of  a doctor  and  a 
trained  nurse!  It  was  made  possible  by  the  love  and 
gifts  of  some  of  you  who  read  this,  and  I think  your 
hearts  must  be  full  of  joy  to  know  of  this  work  you  are 
doing  through  your  representatives  in  China. — C.  F.  Mac- 
Kenzie,  M.  D.,  Kinhwa,  East  China. 

One  poor  blind  woman  had  been  brought  to  us  in  the 
direst  extremity  of  woman’s  sufferings.  She  had  been 
for  three  days  in  agony,  and  it  was  only  after  hours  of 
strenuous  and  anxious  work  that  Doctor  Stait  delivered 
her  of  a still-born  child.  When  she  heard  that  I had 
reached  the  village  she  asked  to  be  led  to  me,  and  never 
have  I seen  more  heartfelt  gratitude  than  was  evinced 
by  that  poor  woman. — F.  W.  Stait,  Udayagiri,  South  India. 

The  surgeon-general  visited  us  in  December,  and  ex- 
pressed himself  as  much  pleased  with  the  hospital  and  the 
work  being  done.  The  government  has  sanctioned  a grant 
of  5,000  rupees  for  enlarging  our  maternity  department. 
This  is  very  much  needed,  as  our  maternity  ward  accom- 
modates but  four  patients,  and  this  year  we  have  had  138 
maternity  cases. — Lena  A.  Benjamin,  M.  D.,  Nellore,  South 
India. 

We  are  happy  to  have  the  mothers  come  to  us  at  such 
a time.  We  are  trying  to  teach  them  the  importance  of 
care  at  this  critical  period,  and  can  do  it  to  better  advan- 
tage in  the  hospital.  All  who  have  come  to  us  appreciate 
the  care  they  receive.  One  mother,  who  had  lost  two  sons 
by  neglect  after  birth,  said,  “ Oh,  if  I had  known  about 
the  hospital  three  years  ago  my  two  boys  need  not  have 
died.” — Fannie  Northcott,  Swatow,  South  China. 

I was  called  in  to  see  the  wife  of  one  of  the  teachers  in 
the  Buddhist  school.  The  husband  is  well  educated  and 
earning  a good  salary,  but  they  had  called  in  a cheap 

[29] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


midwife  to  care  for  the  wife  during  confinement.  I was 
called  on  the  ninth  day  because  fever  and  its  attending 
symptoms  had  appeared.  I saw  that  the  patient  would 
need  good  care  for  some  time  and  urged  that  she  be 
brought  to  the  hospital.  I convinced  the  husband  that  if 
she  did  not  come  she  would  die.  She  has  been  here  now 
five  days  and  is  very  much  better.  A clean  bed,  a daily 
bath,  and  a few  things  of  similar  nature  have  made  it 
possible. — Martha  J.  Gifford,  M.  D.,  Moulmein,  Burma. 

We  have  one  interesting  little  fellow  with  us  whom  we 
may  have  to  keep.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  six 
months  old  and  left  him  with  no  one  but  an  aged  grand- 
father to  care  for  him.  After  three  months  they  brought 
him  to  us  in  the  most  awful  condition.  He  was  about  as 
thin  as  he  could  be,  too  weak  to  cry,  had  rickets,  and 
there  was  something  wrong  with  every  part  of  him.  He 
is  fat  now  in  comparison  to  what  he  was,  and  the  j oiliest, 
best  little  fellow  that  ever  w^as.  We  also  have  a very 
tiny  baby,  who  was  brought  to  us  when  four  days  old. 
His  heathen  mother  died  after  his  birth,  leaving  six  or 
seven  other  children.  Our  Talain  pastor  went  to  this 
village,  and  hearing  about  the  baby  adopted  it. — Selma  M. 
Maxville,  Moulmein,  Burma. 

Mothers  who  came  to  us  with  thin,  emaciated  babes,  just 
existing  because  of  lack  of  nourishment,  are  today  hold- 
ing and  nursing  fat  little  babes  that  are  alive  and  happy, 
all  because  they  have  been  shown  by  the  medical  mission- 
ary that  palm-wine  is  not  the  proper  food  for  mothers  to 
nurse  babies  on,  or  to  make  them  fit  to  bear  healthy  off- 
spring.— Judson  C.  King,  M.  D.,  Bama  Manteke,  Africa. 

General  Medical  Work 

The  experiences  of  Baptist  medical  missionaries 
in  general  medical  work  are  very  similar  to  the  ex- 

[30] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


periences  of  the  average  physician  at  home.  All 
types  of  human  disease,  in  early  as  well  as  advanced 
stages,  come  within  their  observation.  The  work  of 
the  day  includes  attention  to  cases  in  hospitals,  visi- 
tation in  homes,  the  conduct  of  daily  clinics  and  dis- 
pensaries. Probably  no  doctor  in  America,  whether 
a specialist  or  general  practitioner,  ever  has  his  wait- 
ing-room or  his  dispensary  so  crowded  or  holding 
the  variety  of  cases  as  that  of  the  average  mission- 
ary physician. 

As  for  the  hospital  work,  there  has  been  the  usual  run 
of  trachoma — and  such  awful  eyes ! One  never  sees  such 
neglected  cases  in  America.  Then  the  usual  run  of 
chronic  ulcers.  Trachoma — ulcers — ulcers — trachoma;  this 
is  the  way  our  in-patient  records  read.  This  spring  there 
was  a very  serious  epidemic  of  measles  which  carried  off 
many  children  and  left  others  with  complications.  Then 
this  fall  whooping-cough  visited  our  Kityang  district  and 
alarmed  the  mothers.  Probably  the  most  general  enemy 
to  child  welfare  is  an  intestinal  parasite.  Among  emer- 
gency cases,  burns  head  the  list.  One  of  these  stands  out 
as  most  tragic  of  all.  The  patient  was  a young  woman, 
badly  burned  on  chest  and  arms  from  falling  into  a large 
kettle  of  hot  rice  during  an  epileptic  sehure.  Her  neigh- 
bors had  treated  the  burns  with  the  powdered  root  of 
some  tree,  and  then,  as  the  wounds  would  not  heal  after  ten 
days,  they  brought  her  to  the  hospital.  She  was  here  several 
days,  and  the  skin  was  healing  rapidly  under  clean  treat- 
ment, when  suddenly  lockjaw  symptoms  set  in,  and  she  soon 
passed  away.  Fairly  frequent  among  emergencies  are  buf- 
falo wounds.  Small  children  are  sent  out  to  tend  the 
herds  in  the  hills  and  are  attacked  by  a vicious  animal. 
The  wounds  look  terrifying,  but  the  children  are  robust 

[31] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


from  their  outdoor  life  and  the  deep  gashes  heal  rapidly. 
Suicide  is  still  common.  We  received  two  cases  in  the 
hospital.  A girl  attempted  suicide  by  cutting  her  throat. 
Happily  the  cut  was  not  too  deep  and  she  recovered.  The 
other  case  was  a young  woman  who,  in  despair  over  her 
husband’s  gambling,  cut  her  throat.  She  too  recovered. — 
Mildred  Scott,  M.  D.,  Kityang,  South  China. 

A native  who  had  been  suffering  from  some  disease, 
called  the  witch-doctor,  received  his  medicines  and  in- 
structions, and  paid  two  dollars  for  the  visit  He  faith- 
fully followed  out  the  prescribed  treatment  and  continued 
to  get  worse.  Some  time  later  he  again  called  the  witch- 
doctor and  was  told  that  he  must  part  with  three  more 
dollars  and  then  he  would  be  well.  He  did  so  and  con- 
tinued to  get  worse,  so  called  the  witch-doctor  the  third 
time,  only  this  time  to  be  told  that  he  was  incurable. 
He  came  to  the  mission  station  here  and  had  his  blood 
examined,  was  given  some  medicine,  paying  only  one  dol- 
lar for  all  services  rendered  by  the  mission  doctor,  and  in 
a month  reported  health,  strength,  and  happiness. — Judson 
C.  King,  M.  D.,  Bansa  Manteke,  Africa. 

The  hospital  service  is  by  far  the  most  satisfactory  form 
of  medical  work,  both  from  the  professional  and  the  mis- 
sionary point  of  view.  We  receive  all  classes  of  people — 
the  proud,  rich  Confucian  scholar,  and  the  poor,  blind  beg- 
gar; the  earnest  Christian  teacher  or  preacher;  and  the 
brigand  (if  he  comes  incognito)  ; the  Taoist  priest,  and 
the  Mohammedan,  who  must  bring  his  o\vn  cooking  and 
serving  dishes,  lest  he  be  defiled  by  food  cooked  or  served 
in  anything  that  had  ever  contained  or  come  in  contact 
with  lard,  the  product  of  the  “ unclean  porker.”  There 
come  to  us  also  the  Catholic  and  the  Protestant,  the  Bud- 
dhist and  the  nondescript.  We  know  them  only  as  “ Tem- 
ples of  the  Living  God.”  Patients  from  ever>-  part  of  our 

[32] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


parish  of  two  million  inhabitants,  afflicted  with  every  ill 
common — and  uncommon — to  man,  and  only  one  doctor  to 
treat  them! — C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

Our  plant  is  quite  complete.  The  large  hospital,  which 
easily  accommodates  forty  patients,  is  as  modem  as  can 
be  in  a place  where  there  are  no  electric-lighting  plants 
or  water-works.  The  dispensary  building,  with  its  large 
chapel,  registrar’s  room,  office,  operating-room,  drug  rooms, 
and  pharmacy,  examination  rooms,  etc.,  has  ministered  to 
over  8,000  sufferers.  A new  building  of  four  rooms  for 
the  resident  Chinese  doctor,  evangelist,  and  nurses  has 
been  built.  Another  building  is  nearly  ready  for  use.  The 
hospital  has  had  in  its  beds  i6o  patients — ^most  of  them 
surgical  cases.  Our  staff  is  most  inadequate  for  a work 
of  this  extent,  but  we  cannot  expect  much  more  with  the 
funds  at  our  disposal.  I can  hardly  imagine  a hospital  of 
this  size  at  home  running  on  about  $i,ooo  a year  for  all 
drugs,  supplies,  servants,  laundry,  Chinese  doctors  and 
nurses,  and  yet  that  is  what  we  have  had  to  do  this  past 
year.  The  salary  of  the  missionary  doctor  is  not  included 
in  this  amount. — C.  F.  MacKenzie,  M.  D.,  Kinhwa,  East 
China. 

The  medical  work  has  been  very  heavy,  788  patients 
having  received  treatment  for  sleeping-sickness.  They 
came  from  more  than  thirty  villages  and  received  between 
four  and  five  thousand  injections.  Of  these,  136  were 
children  attending  school  here.  Although  the  malady  was 
well  advanced  in  some  cases,  there  were  only  three  died; 
two  of  whom  were  far  gone  before  coming  to  me.  One 
boy  had  his  sight  seriously  impaired  from  the  heavy  doses 
that  had  to  be  given  to  save  his  life.  More  than  250  have 
been  treated  in  the  hospital  for  this  and  other  diseases. 
Many  more  would  have  come  to  the  hospital  for  treatment 
had  it  not  been  for  the  impossibility  for  them  to  find 

[33] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


food  anywhere  in  the  region  of  the  station,  and  because 
we  were  without  the  remedy  for  two  months. — W.  H. 
Leslie,  M.  D.,  Vanga,  Africa. 

Touring  and  Dispensary  Work 

An  increasingly  important  service  is  rendered  by 
means  of  village  touring  and  through  daily  dispen- 
saries. On  bicycle  or  horseback  or  through  some 
other  method  of  transportation  the  medical  mission- 
ary, generally  accompanied  by  native  assistants, 
leaves  the  mission  hospital  and  spends  several  weeks 
in  touring  among  the  villages  and  country  districts 
in  his  field.  Thousands  of  patients  are  thereby 
reached,  who  otherwise  would  receive  no  medical 
attention.  Cases  which  require  only  medical  treat- 
ment or  minor  surgical  operations  are  attended  to, 
while  arrangements  are  made  for  transporting  the 
more  serious  cases  back  to  the  mission  hospital. 
When  the  doctor  is  expected  in  a village,  the  local 
preacher  or  teacher  gathers  together  in  the  school- 
house  or  the  chapel  all  who  require  his  services. 
Generally  a hundred  or  more  patients  receive  treat- 
ment during  the  single  day  that  the  doctor  is  able 
to  spend  in  the  village,  while  at  regularly  established 
dispensaries  as  many  as  two  hundred  cases  are 
treated  in  a single  day. 

Since  my  return  to  the  field  in  February  I have  made  a 
tour  through  my  district.  Words  fail  to  describe  some  of 
the  suffering  and  misery  which  I found.  Thousands  of 
souls  who  would  suffer  unattended  are  in  this  manner 

[34] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


reached  and  helped.  One  case  was  that  of  a young  man 
who  fell  from  the  top  of  a tall  tree  and  was  actually  split 
apart  in  the  groin.  There  was  no  one  to  help  him  until  I 
arrived. — Judson  C.  King,  Banza  Manteke,  Africa. 

During  the  last  of  the  year  I visited  all  of  our  out- 
stations,  taking  simple  remedies  with  me.  So  far  as  I could 
learn  I was  the  first  foreigner  to  bring  Western  medicine 
to  any  of  these  places.  Not  only  did  I find  use  for  the 
medicines,  but  had  the  best  opportunities  I have  ever  had 
for  giving  the  people  talks  on  hygiene  and  religion.  These 
were  all  illustrated  with  objects,  and  men,  women,  and 
children,  many  of  whom  had  never  heard  before,  gave  per- 
fect attention. — Mrs.  J.  H.  Giffin,  Kaying,  South  China. 

A daily  dispensary  is  held,  free  for  the  very  poor,  and 
with  a small  charge  for  those  who  can  afford  it.  Some 
days  there  are  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
patients,  and  the  annual  totals  show  a steady  growth,  year 
by  year.  Often  I am  called  into  the  home  when  the  patient 
is  in  a critical  condition,  as  in  case  of  accident,  suicide, 
from  opium-  or  match-poisoning,  and  burns ; also  in  ma- 
ternity cases,  and  at  some  crisis  in  an  acute  disease,  or  as 
a last  resort  in  a failing  malady.  This  is  not,  for  the 
most  part,  a very  satisfactory  phase  of  our  work,  except 
in  the  maternity  cases.  One  is  never  sure  that  the  treat- 
ment outlined  will  be  followed  faithfully.  It  is  common 
knowledge  that,  in  some  acute  cases,  a dozen  different 
doctors  will  be  called  in  within  a couple  of  days,  each  leav- 
ing a different  prescription.  Yet  it  does  offer  an  opportu- 
nity to  demonstrate  one’s  interest  and  sympathy  in  all  the 
anxieties  of  the  home — an  attitude  that  is  usually  appre- 
ciated.— C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

Medical  work  in  the  dispensary  has  demanded  much  time 
and  effort.  Our  chief  attention  having  been  drawn  to  the 
probable  wide-spread  prevalence  of  what  is  popularly 

[35] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


known  in  America  as  the  hookworm  disease,  and  to  its 
great  depredations  upon  the  energies  and  resources  of  the 
people,  considerable  effort  has  been  made  toward  estab- 
lishing a camp  dispensary  for  the  treatment  and  prevention 
of  this  disease. — E.  Billiard,  Kavali,  South  India. 

The  week  after  our  arrival  I opened  the  dispensary  and 
had  five  patients,  seven  the  next  time,  and  then  the  num- 
bers began  rapidly  to  increase  until  for  many  weeks  now 
there  have  usually  been  sixty  or  more  at  each  clinic,  with 
a maximum  of  ninety-two. — F.  W.  Goddard,  M.  D., 
Shaohsing,  East  China. 

Training  Native  Doctors  and  Nurses 

Practically  all  foreign  mission  boards  are  empha- 
sizing today  the  necessity  of  developing  a trained 
native  leadership  who  shall  ultimately  assume  full 
responsibility  for  the  Christianization  of  their  peo- 
ple. The  evangelistic  missionary  devotes  much 
time  to  the  training  of  native  preachers.  The  edu- 
cational missionary  must  have  native  teachers  as  his 
associates.  Similarly  the  physician  in  a district  of 
a million  or  more  inhabitants  cannot  possibly  meet 
the  needs  of  the  sick  and  suffering  multitudes  with- 
out the  assistance  of  trained  doctors  and  nurses.  A 
substantial  amount  of  the  medical  missionary’s  time 
is  therefore  given  to  the  medical  education  of  native 
assistants.  The  Christianizing  of  a nation  can  not 
be  accomplisl^ed  by  foreigners  alone— it  will  be 
achieved  by  the  native  people  themselves.  The 
evangelistic,  educational,  and  medical  training  of 
native  leaders  is  therefore  indispensable. 

[36] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


The  medical  training  of  three  men  has  been  an  impor- 
tant phase  of  my  work.  All  cases  brought  to  the  hospital 
are  studied  by  these  men,  while  I lecture  on  the  cases  and 
also  teach  from  charts  and  pictures  in  medical  books.  Thus 
they  get  the  text-book  along  with  the  disease  and  the 
patient.  These  men  then  do  all  the  preparing  of  pre- 
scriptions, all  the  administering  of  medicines,  and  all  the 
nursing.  They  are  examined  from  time  to  time  on  those 
diseases  they  have  seen  and  worked  with,  so  that  now  they 
are  very  clever  in  prescribing  for  the  more  common  dis- 
eases themselves  and  do  so  to  a large  extent,  and  success- 
fully. When  I am  away  itinerating,  two  of  these  men 
care  for  the  work  in  my  absence,  referring  any  difficulties 
to  Mrs.  King.  The  third  man  goes  with  me,  and  under  my 
direction  does  most  of  the  examining  and  dispensing.  Thus 
he  is  getting  the  practical  knowledge  he  needs  for  his  future 
work. — Judson  C.  King,  M.  D.,  Banza  Manteke,  Africa. 

We  have  three  of  our  graduate  nurses  as  our  assistants, 
ten  in  the  training-school,  and  two  more  ready  to  come  as 
soon  as  the  new  nurses’  home  is  opened.  The  work  has 
gone  on  as  usual,  regular  classes  have  been  held  through- 
out the  year,  and  the  practical  work  done  in  the  various 
wards.  Four  nurses  took  the  General  South  India 
nurses’  examination,  two  seniors  and  two  juniors;  all 
passed  with  credit,  one  with  distinction.  Two  nurses  have 
finished  their  training  and  have  gone  back  to  help  the  mis- 
sionaries who  sent  them. — Annie  S.  Magilton,  Nellore, 
South  India. 

Since  our  doctor  returned  to  America  on  furlough,  the 
dispensary  has  been  conducted  by  Doctor  Yang.  Last  year, 
with  three  assistants  and  two  coolies,  the  dispensary  cost 
the  mission  about  $ioo.  This  year,  with  one  less  assistant, 
the  total  expense  has  been  about  $8o.  Doctor  Yang  is  very 
popular,  because  of  his  work  in  the  wealthy  villages  and 

[37] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


towns.  He  has  had  the  experience  that  very  few  native 
physicians  receive  in  such  a short  time,  and  has  won  in  a 
very  large  measure  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  Chi- 
nese.— A.  F.  Groesbeck,  Chaoyang,  South  China. 

We  now  have  twenty-six  nurses  in  the  hospital  in 
training.  The  aim  of  the  school  is  threefold:  (i)  To 
train  young  women  to  become  self-supporting,  helpful 
Christian  women ; (2)  to  minister  to  the  sick  within  the 
hospital;  (3)  to  serve  the  general  public  by  going  to  the 
homes  of  sick  people  who  do  not  care  to  go  to  a hospital 
or  who  live  too  far  away  to  come.  The  course  is  of  three 
years.  To  conform  to  hospital  requirements  the  students 
must  have  entered  high  school.  All  our  class  work  is 
therefore  in  English.  Classes  are  held  every  week  for 
nine  months,  except  in  cases  of  emergencies. — Rose  E. 
Nicolet,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

When  the  doctor  leaves  on  furlough  the  hospital  is 
closed.  If  this  work  is  to  be  continuous,  or  become  a 
vital  part  of  the  work  of  the  Christian  church  in  China,  it 
is  essential  that  there  be  trained  Chinese  doctors,  nurses, 
and  other  helpers.  We  are  always  on  the  lookout  for 
prominent  schoolboys,  and  encourage  them  to  prepare  for 
the  medical  school,  or  the  school  for  nurses  at  the  Union 
University  at  Chengtu. — C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu, 
West  China. 

One  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  past  year  is  the 
organization  of  the  Nurses’  Training  School  in  the 
Woman’s  Hospital.  In  September  we  started  our  class 
with  four  bright  schoolgirls  and  a graduate  Chinese  nurse 
to  help  with  the  teaching.  Our  school  has  been  registered 
and  the  graduates  will  be  eligible  for  membership  in  the 
Nurses’  Association,  and  after  satisfactorily  passing  the 
examination  will  be  awarded  the  diploma.  One  graduate 

[38] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


nurse  has  already  passed  this  examination  with  honors. — 
Harriett  Newell  Smith,  Ningpo,  East  China. 

A special  feature  of  the  year  was  a class  of  fifteen 
men,  to  whom  we,  on  request  of  the  Chinese  official,  gave 
two  days  of  lectures  and  one  of  practical  demonstration 
in  methods  of  vaccination.  This  class  had  to  pass  a 
written  examination  and  each  member  vaccinate  a child 
in  our  presence.  Those  who  passed  were  given  certificates 
by  the  official,  who  also  established  a bureau  to  procure 
fresh  vaccine  and  dressings  for  the  use  of  these  men. — 
C.  F.  MacKenzie,  M.  D.,  Kinhwa,  East  China. 

Service  During  Plagues  and  Epidemics 

When  great  epidemics  of  smallpox,  typhus, 
cholera,  and  other  terrible  plagues,  fortunately  so 
rare  in  America,  sweep  across  vast  areas  in  the  non- 
Christian  world,  the  time  and  strength  of  the  medi- 
cal missionary  are  taxed  to  the  utmost.  Then  in- 
deed does  he  become  a minister  of  healing,  working 
daily  into  the  long  hours  of  the  night,  like  a true 
apostle  of  Him  who  saved  others  but  spared  not 
himself.  Frequently  the  physician  is  himself 
stricken  with  the  disease  from  which  he  tries  to 
rescue  the  thousands  who  are  afflicted.  No  physi- 
cian in  America  ever  comes  into  such  close  personal 
contact  with  “ the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  dark- 
ness and  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday.” 
There  are  thousands  of  people  in  the  non-Christian 
world  alive  today  who  but  for  this  heroic  service 
of  Baptist  medical  missionaries  would  long  ago 
have  perished  with  other  countless  multitudes  as 
victims  of  Oriental  plagues. 

[39] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Three  epidemics  have  visited  us — plague,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year;  cholera,  in  the  hot  season,  and  influenza, 
during  the  last  quarter.  These  epidemics  added  long 
hours  to  our  busy  days  in  the  dispensary  and  out-patient 
work,  and  cut  down  seriously  the  number  of  in-patients 
in  our  wards.  As  soon  as  plague  came  to  a town,  houses 
were  evacuated,  many  people  fled  to  other  parts  of  the 
country  where  the  dread  epidemic  had  no  hold,  while 
those  who  must  stay  went  into  thatch  huts  far  from 
the  town  in  the  open  country.  Many  shops  were  closed, 
business  was  practically  at  a standstill,  and  people  avoided 
coming  into  the  stricken  town.  Three  days  a week  were 
set  apart  especially  for  inoculations,  and  people  came  from 
miles  around  the  country  to  be  inoculated.  Some  days  we 
inoculated  more  than  200  people.  The  word  influenza 
needs  no  explanation.  We  have  worked  through  many 
epidemics  of  cholera  and  two  of  plague,  but  we  have 
never  seen  such  abject  misery  as  accompanied  influenza 
in  these  villages.  Whole  families  were  laid  low  in  such 
swift  succession  that  there  was  no  one  to  care  for  or 
even  to  cook,  feed,  or  give  water  or  medicine  to  the  sick 
ones.  In  some  villages  there  were  none  left  with  strength 
enough  to  dig  graves,  and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  were 
thrown  into  wells.  The  fearful  destitution  of  the  people, 
owing  to  the  famine  conditions,  left  them  no  reser\'e 
strength  with  which  to  resist  the  disease.  Complications 
of  all  sorts  followed.  People  flocked  to  us,  begging  to  be 
taken  into  our  wards.  If  we  had  had  a staff  immune  from 
disease  we  might  have  done  a large  in-patient  work.  As 
it  was,  one  after  another  of  the  staff  became  ill,  and  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  we  were  able  to  care  for 
them. — J.  S.  Timpany,  M.  D.,  Hanumakonda,  South  India. 

We  vaccinated  175  children  last  spring,  not  many  when 
compared  with  the  swarms  of  little  folks  in  the  city  and 
near-by  districts,  but  it  is  a decided  increase  over  pre- 

[40] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


vious  years.  The  great  majority  are  still  devoted  to  their 
old  methods  of  vaccination,  that  of  three  or  four  places 
on  the  arm,  or  inoculation  of  the  smallpox  virus  in  the 
nasal  cavity.  We  had  several  cases  this  year  where  chil- 
dren had  developed  huge  abscesses  of  the  knee-  and  elbow- 
joints  as  a result  of  the  dirty  infections,  some  proving 
fatal. — C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

Early  in  November  Spanish  influenza  visited  the  Chin 
Hills  and  left  countless  graves  in  its  trail.  Schools  were 
closed  from  November  13  to  January  i,  and  many  pupils 
have  not  returned.  Five  of  our  Haka  pupils  have  died. 
From  others  living  at  a distance  I have  not  heard.  The 
death-rate  has  been  terrible.  Thirteen  entire  families  here 
have  been  wiped  out,  and  from  one  family  of  nine  only  one 
little  three-year-old  girl  is  left.  After  going  among  them 
constantly  and  doing  what  I could  for  them  for  several 
weeks,  I finally  took  the  disease  myself.  All  the  Chin 
Christians  and  many  of  the  heathen  seemed  to  feel  a per- 
sonal responsibility  for  my  recovery. — Laura  H.  Carson, 
Haka,  Burma. 

Influenza,  after  spreading  over  most  of  Europe  and 
Africa,  reached  India.  It  began  in  the  great  cities,  then 
came  to  smaller  cities  like  Ongole,  and  then  raged  in  the 
little  hamlets  of  the  jungle.  It  has  been  more  fatal  than 
the  great  Bombay  plague.  Thousands  have  been  swept 
into  eternity  daily.  Indian  people  are  generally  underfed 
and  know  little  about  caring  for  themselves  in  sickness. 
Influenza  comes  to  them  in  a seemingly  gentle  form,  then 
fever  sets  in,  and  finally  bronchitis  or  pneumonia  grips 
them  in  a vise,  from  which  they  cannot  escape. — J.  M. 
Baker,  Ongole,  South  India. 

Early  in  the  year  a terrible  scourge  of  cholera  broke 
out  in  Allur.  Most  of  the  patients  were  seized  at  night, 

[41] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


and  if  not  promptly  attended  to  and  carefully  watched  and 
nursed,  the  next  day  about  noon  would  find  them  past 
recovery.  So  fearful  were  the  people  of  the  demons  that 
stalk  about  after  dark,  that  all  houses  were  closed  shortly 
after  nightfall,  and  very  few,  if  seized  by  the  disease  in 
the  night,  could  find  means  to  report  to  the  teachers.  For 
days,  when  the  pestilence  was  at  its  worst,  we  did  nothing 
but  watch  symptoms,  pour  cholera  mixture  to  those  at- 
tacked, and  nourish  the  convalescing. — Charles  Ruther- 
ford, Allur,  South  India. 

During  the  spring  I went  to  several  villages  and  inocu- 
lated over  four  hundred  people  with  plague  serum.  We 
also  vaccinated  over  two  hundred  children  against  small- 
pox. About  two  hundred  students  were  inoculated  with  the 
plague  serum  or  vaccinated.  This  year  there  has  been  no 
plague  to  speak  of  in  our  neighborhood.  The  people  have 
learned  by  experience  the  value  of  the  serum,  and  as  soon 
as  a case  appears  in  their  neighborhood  they  rush  for  an 
inoculation. — Fannie  Northcott,  Swatow,  South  China. 

A serious  outbreak  of  plague,  which  reached  every  por- 
tion of  the  Secunderabad  field,  seriously  interfered  with 
our  work,  especially  in  the  villages.  In  one  village  more 
than  a hundred  died.  A sorcerer  had  visited  the  village 
before  our  inoculator  got  there,  and  told  the  people  that 
a goddess  was  angry  with  them.  He  selected  a tree  close 
to  the  village,  painted  the  stem,  placed  some  pots  round 
the  roots  of  the  tree,  and  told  the  people  trouble  was 
over  for  their  village,  and  went  on  'his  way  to  do  more 
mischief.  They  believed  him,  and  refused  inoculation. — 
F.  H.  Levering,  Secunderabad,  South  India. 

I was  compelled  to  give  up  my  work  in  May,  because 
I was  myself  stricken  with  typhoid.  There  were  140  pa- 
tients in  the  hospital  at  the  time,  and  it  was  a source  of 
greatest  satisfaction  to  learn  how  my  helpers  shouldered 

[42] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


the  responsibility  of  this  heavy  burden.  So  far  as  I can 
find  out,  they  did  their  work  as  faithfully  as  though  I 
had  been  on  the  job.  And  their  constant  solicitation  for 
my  recovery  was  most  gratifying.  They  proved  themselves 
loyal  coworkers. — C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West 
China. 

Sanitation  and  Public  Heeilth 

The  medical  missionary  in  the  non-Christian 
world  also  finds  abundant  opportunity  for  service  in 
the  development  of  sanitation  and  hygiene  and  in 
the  promotion  of  public  health.  Much  of  the  dis- 
ease in  the  Orient  and  in  the  tropics  is  due  largely 
to  the  fearfully  unsanitary  conditions  among  which 
the  people  live.  The  purity  of  a water  supply  is 
never  questioned.  An  epidemic  of  cholera  at  a 
large  school  was  caused  by  an  old  woman  who 
washed  in  the  drinking-water  supply  of  the  school 
the  clothes  of  a child  who  had  died  of  cholera.  The 
filth  of  heathen  villages  is  indescribable.  Fresh  air 
at  night  is  more  dreaded  than  sickness.  The  task 
of  the  mythical  Hercules  in  cleaning  out  the  Augean 
stables  was  far  less  difficult  than  the  task  which 
confronts  the  medical  missionary  of  today  in  his 
efforts  to  introduce  the  gospel  of  sanitation  and 
public  health. 

Closely  allied  with  the  physical  evils  growing  out 
of  an  unsanitary  environment  are  the  social  evils 
which  flourish  under  such  conditions  and  which  pre- 
sent great  problems  to  the  medical  missionary.  The 
worst  phases  of  intemperance  and  alcoholism  are 

[43] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


seen  by  the  medical  missionary.  Nicotine,  opium, 
and  other  drugs  claim  countless  victims  in  heathen 
lands,  and  only  the  strong  arm  of  the  missionary 
doctor  can  overcome  these  forces  of  evil.  Unmen- 
tionable vices  and  diseases  due  to  immorality  pre- 
sent other  problems  all  the  more  difficult  because  of 
the  prevailing  low  standard  of  morality.  The 
medical  missionary  indeed  faces  a task  whose 
achievement  comes  as  near  being  impossible  as  any 
that  could  be  imagined. 

In  typical  heathen  communities  the  houses  are  more  or 
less  in  a dilapidated  condition.  The  hogs  and  goats  make 
the  ground  filthy;  the  inhabitants  sit  about  on  the  dirty 
earth,  prepare  their  food,  and  put  it  on  the  ground  in  the 
dirt;  wear  scarcely  any  or  no  clothing.  The  villages  are 
in  locations  near  breeding-places  for  mosquitoes  and  the 
tsetse  fly,  the  former  carrying  malaria,  the  latter  sleeping- 
sickness.  Drunkenness  and  immorality  are  common.  In 
these  villages  not  many  children  are  seen  in  proportion 
to  the  number  of  adult  females.  The  village  that  has 
come  under  the  teachings  of  the  medical  missionary  is 
built  away  from  the  jungle,  on  hilltops,  where  the  breeze 
bathes  the  village,  keeping  the  flies  and  mosquitoes  away; 
the  houses  are  kept  in  repair  and  the  natives  have  learned 
to  sit  on  mats  instead  of  the  dirt.  Marriage  relations  are 
sacred,  most  of  the  men  have  but  one  wife.  Teachings  on 
hygiene  are  followed,  and  many  more  babies  are  seen  in 
the  Christian  villages.  More  clothes  have  made  disease 
inoculations  by  insects  less  possible;  better  sources  of 
drinking-water  have  lessened  other  diseases;  health, 
strength,  cleanliness,  and  orderliness  have  taken  the  place 
of  disorder,  filth,  weakness,  and  disease. — Judson  C.  King, 
M.  D.,  Banza  Manteke,  Africa. 

[44] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


You  speak  of  hygiene  and  sanitation.  I have  not  yet 
seen  anything  of  the  sort  in  the  Manipur  State  of  Assam. 
The  Kukis  are  filthy  in  body,  and  the  Tangkhuls  have  the 
dirtiest  villages  I have  seen  anywhere  in  my  life  in  all 
my  wanderings  about  the  world!  The  only  thing  to  com- 
pare at  all  nearly  with  several  I visited  in  July  is  a badly 
kept  back  barnyard  in  America.  Cattle  are  kept  in  the 
front  room  of  the  houses  and  the  front  yards  of  most 
of  the  houses  in  the  villages  together  constitute  one  gen- 
eral area  or  commons  in  the  center  of  the  village.  In 
several  of  the  villages  I visited,  this  entire  area  was  one 
complete  mass  of  slushy  manure,  through  which  the  peo- 
ple walk  to  and  fro  every  time  they  go  to  any  other 
house  or  place  during  the  rainy  six  months  of  the  year. — 
G.  G.  Crazier,  M.  D.,  Manipur,  Assam. 

The  Madras  Government  recently  approached  us  regard- 
ing the  improvement  of  the  sanitary  conditions  in  the 
surrounding  villages.  It  is  hard  for  those  living  in  our 
beautiful  suburbs  and  clean  healthful  towns  in  America 
to  realize  the  fearful  filth,  the  unsanitary  conditions  which 
prevail  in  India.  The  inauguration  of  sanitary  methods  in 
such  surroundings  means  something. — F.  W.  Stait,  Udaya- 
giri.  South  India. 

The  need  of  sanitation  is  well  known  in  all  China. 
There  is  constant  association  with  filth,  vermin,  and  all 
diseased  conditions.  Isolation  is  not  practised  in  any 
form — patients  in  the  most  contagious  period  of  virulently 
infectious  disease  mingle  freely  with  the  crowd  of  the 
street,  tea-houses,  or  public  gatherings. — J.  C.  Humphreys, 
M.  D.,  Yachowfu,  West  China. 

In  some  of  our  cases  we  find  great  difficulty  in  carry- 
ing out  a rational  treatment.  A couple  of  women,  one 
quite  young,  came  the  other  day  complaining  of  the 

[45] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


younger  woman’s  cough — tuberculosis,  of  course,  for  the 
white  plague  thrives  in  China.  We  asked  her  about  her 
sleeping-room,  and  she  described,  as  we  expected,  a room 
with  no  window  whatever  and  door  tightly  closed  at  night, 
while  three  or  four  people  slept  in  one  corner.  We  told 
her  that  to  save  her  life  she  must  certainly  change  all 
this:  put  up  a shelter  in  the  open  court,  and  sleep  there. 
But,  oh  no — if  she  were  to  attempt  to  sleep  without  every- 
thing tightly  closed  the  evil  spirits  would  trouble  her 
sleep. — H.  W.  Newman,  M.  D.,  Ungkung,  South  China. 

My  class  work  is  a little  heavier  this  year,  for  in  July 
I put  in  a new  subject  for  the  first-  and  second-year 
women,  “Lessons  in  Elementary  Tropical  Hygiene.”  This 
subject  takes  up  the  common  diseases  of  India,  such  as 
cholera,  plague,  smallpox,  measles,  chicken-pox,  malaria, 
skin  diseases  of  all  kinds,  leprosy,  etc.,  giving  their  treat- 
ment and  prevention.  Of  course,  hygiene  is  the  main 
thread  through  the  book.  As  a result,  I have  seen  a big 
difference  in  the  cleanliness  in  the  homes. — Lillian  V. 
Wagner,  Ramapatnam,  South  India. 

You  might  be  interested  in  my  lepers.  I have  had  six 
under  my  personal  care  for  a year,  the  state  pa}'ing  prac- 
tically all  the  expense.  Next  year  I hope  to  have  help 
from  other  sources  also.  One  is  so  nearly  well  that  I 
could  discharge  him,  but  I am  retaining  him  as  an  as- 
sistant in  the  care  of  the  others.  Two  have  died,  and 
the  four  remaining  are  to  be  housed  at  the  new  mission 
compound  as  the  beginning  of  a permanent  leper  colony. 
There  is  much  hope  in  the  latest  methods. — G.  G.  Crosier, 
M.  D.,  Manipur,  Assam. 

The  Red  Cross  and  War  Relief 

There  is  another  type  of  service  which  the  medi- 
cal missionary  is  called  upon  to  render  more  fre- 

[46] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


quently  than  is  generally  supposed.  The  non-Chris- 
tian world  is  far  from  being  in  a state  of  political 
equilibrium.  Civil  wars,  political  feuds,  clan  fights, 
battles  with  robber  bands,  and  other  internal  dis- 
turbances are  of  more  or  less  regular  occurrence. 
In  such  times  of  disorder,  the  medical  missionary 
finds  his  services  in  great  demand.  During  the  civil 
war  in  West  China,  the  hospital  of  Dr.  C.  E.  Tomp- 
kins ministered  to  more  than  two  thousand  wounded 
men,  including  officers,  soldiers  and  civilians.  In 
! recognition  of  his  services  the  Chinese  Government 
i awarded  him  a medal  and  military  decoration. 

For  nearly  three  years  this  mission  hospital  was  not 
without  its  wounded  soldiers.  Our  big  crowd  of  wounded, 
received  at  the  close  of  the  year,  had  recuperated  suffi- 
ciently to  return  home — ^when,  in  April,  a new  crowd  of 
over  one  hundred  was  dumped  on  our  hands.  A couple 
of  companies  of  Yunnan  soldiers  had  been  ambushed  about 
I twenty-five  miles  away  by  a horde  of  Szechuan  robbers, 

1 and  were  badly  cut  up.  It  would  require  nearly  an  en- 
tire day  just  to  change  the  dressings.  The  cases  were 
just  the  usual  run  of  shattered  thighs,  legs,  and  arms; 
punctured  lungs ; wounds  in  all  parts  of  the  body.  The 
I days  had  been  warm,  the  roads  were  dusty,  and  the  trans- 
portation was  delayed  so  that  the  wounds  were  badly 
infected.  The  helpers  soon  learned  the  seriousness  of 
secondary  hemorrhages — the  great  bane  of  the  military 
hospital — and  would  quickly  apply  a tourniquet  to  the  in- 
jured part  and  prepare  the  patient  for  operation. — C.  E. 
Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

During  the  War  several  medical  missionaries 
offered  their  services  to  the  cause  of  world  democ- 

[47] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


racy.  Dr.  J.  R.  Bailey,  of  Assam,  spent  six  months 
in  France  with  the  Assam  Labor  Corps.  Dr.  H.  R. 
Murphy,  of  Bengal-Orissa,  and  Dr.  G.  G.  Crozier, 
of  Assam,  were  attached  to  the  British  forces  that 
were  being  recruited  in  India.  Dr.  N.  Worth 
Brown,  of  East  China,  was  commissioned  a Major 
in  the  American  army  and  served  in  France  for 
more  than  a year.  He  is  a recognized  expert  on 
certain  obscure  diseases  of  the  heart,  and  the  United 
States  Government  loaned  him  to  the  British  Army 
for  the  treatment  of  such  cases.  An  unusual  service 
was  rendered  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Newman,  of  South 
China,  who  commissioned  Major,  was  deputy 
commissioner  of  the  American  Red  Cross  to  Si- 
beria, spending  fourteen  months  in  service  there, 
first  with  the  Czecho-Slovak  Army  and  later  with 
the  Russian  Army.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of  an 
anti-typhus  campaign  and  carried  on  a successful 
struggle  against  this  deadly  disease  until  he  himself 
was  stricken.  Fortunately  he  recovered. 

In  one  regiment  of  soldiers  there  were  more  than  two 
thousand  lying  sick.  We  organized  a hospital  to  care  for 
these  sick  and  to  put  into  practice  such  other  sanitary 
measures  as  were  necessary  to  prevent  the  wider  spread 
of  the  typhus  epidemic.  This  hospital  opened  its  doors 
for  the  reception  of  the  sick  in  less  than  three  weeks  after 
the  day  when  we  had  first  arrived  for  the  inspection.  In 
that  space  of  time  we  had  taken  an  empty  building,  and 
not  only  brought  in  the  supplies  for  conducting  medical 
work,  but  had  built  all  the  furniture,  including  beds,  nec- 
essary for  the  hospital,  and  gathered  together  a Russian 

[48] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


personnel  for  caring  for  the  sick.  By  the  middle  of  April 
we  had  cared  for  more  than  a thousand  soldiers  sick  with 
typhus,  and  the  epidemic  was  well  under  control. — H.  W. 
Newman,  M.  D. 

Doctor  Newman  was  organizing  a surgical  hos- 
pital to  be  equipped  with  fifteen  hundred  beds  at 
Cheliabinsk,  when  the  city  and  garrison  were  com- 
pelled to  evacuate  because  of  the  advance  of  the 
Bolshevik  army.  Major  George  W.  Simmons,  spe- 
cial Red  Cross  commissioner  to  Siberia,  wrote  as 
follows  regarding  Doctor  Newman’s  work: 

In  all  the  story  of  Red  Cross  achievement  in  Siberia 
there  will  be  no  greater  credit  due  any  individual  than 
that  due  Doctor  Newman  for  the  successful  accomplish- 
ment of  his  anti-typhus  work  at  Cheliabinsk  and  Petro- 
pavlosk.  Almost  without  American  aid.  Doctor  Newman 
cleaned  out  a factory  building  and  installed  an  efficient 
typhus  hospital,  and  later  built  up  a hospital  of  450  beds 
at  Petropavlosk,  where,  under  his  direction,  the  mortality 
rate  was  cut  down  by  about  two-thirds. 

A Challenging  Service 

Where  in  all  the  world  is  there  a service  so  big,  so 
challenging,  so  beset  with  difficulties,  so  fascinating, 
so  varied,  so  heroic,  and  so  Christlike  as  the  service 
of  the  medical  missionary  in  the  non-Christian 
world  ? 


[49] 


CHAPTER  III 


UNUSUAL  CASES  IN  THE  EXPERIENCE 
OF  BAPTIST  MEDICAL 
MISSIONARIES 


And  when  he  had  called  unto  him  his  twelve  dis- 
ciples, he  gave  them  power  against  unclean  spirits, 
to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of  sickness 
and  all  manner  of  disease. — Matthew  lo  : i. 


CHAPTER  III 


Unusual  Cases  in  the  Experience  of  Baptist 
Medical  Missionaries 

During  the  course  of  a year’s  work  most  medical 
missionaries  are  called  upon  to  treat  cases  which 
can  be  adequately  described  only  as  extraordinary. 
Any  one  of  such  cases,  if  coming  within  the  practice 
of  some  physician  in  America,  would  furnish  data 
for  a special  article  in  some  medical  journal,  or 
might  easily  be  the  subject  of  a report  at  a confer- 
ence of  physicians.  In  non-Christian  lands  such 
cases  are  of  more  or  less  frequency  and  are  crowded 
among  hundreds  of  other  cases,  so  that  the  medical 
missionary  seldom  recognizes  them  as  worthy  of 
special  mention  in  his  report  to  the  constituency 
which  supports  him.  What  general  practitioner  in 
America  during  the  course  of  a week’s  or  even  a 
month’s  practice  would  be  called  upon  to  treat  dis- 
eases such  as  are  mentioned  in  the  following  para- 
graph ? 

A mere  list  of  some  of  the  diseases  which  not  only  deci- 
mate the  population,  but  at  times  destroy  whole  commu- 
nities, is  enough  to  awaken  intense  interest  upon  the  part 
of  any  Christian  medical  man  and  a desire  to  plunge  into 
the  battle  against  these  enemies  of  the  human  race. 

[53] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Among  those  commonly  found  are : Ankylostomiasis,  beri- 
beri, cancer,  cataract,  dysentery,  cholera,  elephantiasis, 
epilepsy,  erysipelas,  goiter,  leprosy,  plague,  smallpox, 
trachoma,  tropical  ulcers,  trypanosomiasis,  tumors,  typhoid 
fever,  and  typhus. — Rev.  P.  H.  J.  Lerrigo,  M.  D. 

Baptist  medical  missionaries  are  constantly  meet- 
ing unusual  and  extraordinary  cases.  These  are 
not  only  of  professional  interest  but  are  also  of 
great  significance  in  revealing  conditions  of  living, 
traits  of  character,  varieties  of  human  nature,  and 
native  customs  in  the  non-Christian  world.  They 
clearly  indicate  some  of  the  tremendous  difficulties 
and  the  great  obstacles  which  must  be  overcome  in 
the  task  of  extending  the  kingdom  of  God  through- 
out the  world.  A missionary’s  faith  is  sometimes 
sorely  tested  when  such  unusual  cases  come,  and 
when  such  a faith  triumphs  the  victory  is  all  the 
more  secure. 

God  has  wonderfully  blessed  my  efforts  to  relieve  suf- 
fering and  save  life.  There  have  been  four  severe  cases 
of  pernicious  malaria,  and  two  of  them  were  of  the 
“ algid  ” type,  when  the  body  was  like  ice,  the  pulse  very 
weak,  and  respiration  very  difficult.  In  one  case  the  body 
was  drenched  with  icy  perspiration.  In  the  other  there 
was  none  at  all.  In  the  latter  case  the  suffering  was  in- 
tense. Alone,  except  for  my  own  native  helpers,  with  such 
serious  cases,  one  learns  to  depend  upon  Christ,  the  great 
helper,  and  he  does  deliver  us  in  time  of  trouble  and 
gives  strength  and  wisdom  in  sudden  emergencies.  For 
several  years  not  a person  has  died  on  this  place. — Mr\. 
Jennie  Johnson,  Loikaw,  Burma. 

154] 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


Two  remarkable  cases  in  the  experience  of  Dr.  C. 

I B.  Lesher,  of  Chaoyang,  South  China,  are  of  more 
than  professional  interest.  Sometimes  such  cases 
present  opportunities  for  performing  real  miracles; 
they  also  show  to  what  extent  the  missionary,  not- 
f withstanding  his  strenuous  and  self-sacrificing 
efforts,  is  called  upon  to  do  the  impossible. 

, We  had  a lockjaw  case  recently.  He  was  a young  man 
I of  twenty,  and  was  in  such  desperate  straits  that  he 
couldn’t  swallow  a drop,  and  his  body  was  rigid  and  con- 
vulsed by  intense  spasms  every  few  minutes.  A suddenly 
or  loudly  spoken  word,  the  noise  of  moving  a chair,  the 
cackle  of  a hen,  the  quarreling  of  children  on  the  street 
threw  him  into  spasms.  It  was  an  unusual  case,  and  many 
physicians  in  a lifetime  never  have  the  opportunity  of  see- 
ing such  a specimen.  Several  dollars’  worth  of  medicine 
were  injected  into  him  at  one  sitting.  At  first  this  case 
was  a number  of  miles  inland,  and  I remained  in  his  vil- 
lage for  two  entire  days,  literally  spending  hours  by  his 
j bedside.  On  the  morning  of  the  second  day,  the  patient 
to  the  Chinese  seemed  worse,  but  by  timing  his  pulse  and 
respirations  by  my  watch,  I could  assure  his  friends  that 
he  was  somewhat  better.  1 could  give  very  little  encour- 
agement for  his  recovery  unless  he  came  to  the  hospital. 
He  came,  and  a month  later  went  home  well,  both  he  and 
his  mother  declaring  their  belief  in  Jesus  and  their  in- 
tention to  follow  him. — C.  B.  Lesher,  M.  D.,  Chaoyang, 
South  China. 

A well-dressed  gentleman  appeared  at  the  door,  stating 
I that  he  would  like  to  have  a few  words  with  me  at  my 
earliest  convenience.  He  had  come  from  Swatow  and 
I was  on  his  way  to  his  home.  His  wife  was  sick,  and  he 
I asked  me  to  see  the  case.  I agreed  to  go  as  soon  as  the 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


cases  before  me  were  finished,  but  was  kept  busy  during 
the  entire  forenoon.  Our  destination  was  a village  fifteen 
miles  distant,  against  which  seven  surrounding  villages 
were  fighting.  By  a circuitous  route,  adding  another  seven 
miles  to  our  journey,  we  were  able  to  evade  the  enemy 
and  reach  his  home.  The  man  had  studied  in  Pekin  for 
five  years.  He  spoke  French  fluently.  His  library  con- 
tained hundreds  of  volumes.  His  wife  was  an  accom- 
plished woman,  who  could  read,  write,  and  paint.  Her 
disease  was  worse  than  the  dreaded  cancer.  She  had  had 
a frightful  hemorrhage,  and  I realized  that  it  was  too 
late  to  save  her.  I gave  her  what  hypodermics  seemed 
advisable,  and  then,  in  search  of  another  drug,  walked 
more  than  two  miles  to  a large  village  where  a Christian 
had  a drug-store  with  some  foreign  medicines.  To  get 
to  the  drug-store  I had  to  go  over  the  breastworks  of 
this  central  village,  and  then  across  those  of  the  opposing 
villages.  I reached  the  drug-store  after  dark,  got  the 
needed  drug,  and  after  much  search  finally  was  able  to 
hire  a sedan-chair  and  bearers  to  take  me  back  to  the 
central  village.  Further  hypodermics  were  administered, 
and  I retired  at  lo  P.  M.,  was  called  at  twelve;  they 
feared  the  patient  was  having  another  hemorrhage.  It 
was  not  the  case,  and  I retired  once  more.  The  patient 
rested  during  the  night  and  felt  better  in  the  morning, 
but  I had  already  warned  them  that  if  she  lived  over  night 
she  would  almost  certainly  die  within  the  next  two  or 
three  days.  Although  there  were  very  few  chances  for  the  ] 
patient’s  recovery,  it  seemed  best  to  return  to  Chaoyang  | 
for  further  drugs  and  instruments  preparatory  to  opera-  j 
tion  in  case  the  patient  rallied  sufficiently  to  warrant  it. 

I reached  home  at  i P.  M.,  hastily  ate  dinner,  and  pre- 
pared for  the  return  trip.  I had  gone  less  than  a mile  when  j 
a messenger  reached  us,  who  said  the  patient  died  two 
hours  after  I had  left  in  the  morning. — C.  B.  Lesher, 

M.  D.,  Chaoyang,  South  China.  \ 

[56] 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


!) 


The  deepening  shadow  of  hopeless  despair  and 
i the  dark  tragedy  of  heathenism  are  seldom  pictured 
I more  realistically  than  in  the  following  incident 
I where  the  missionary,  although  in  this  case  not  a 
physician,  was  called  upon  to  bury  the  victim  whom 
the  plague  had  brought  to  an  untimely  end : 

On  every  tour  we  attempted  we  have  run  into  cholera. 
In  every  case  I have  done  all  possible  in  the  way  of  giv- 
ing personal  attention  to  those  stricken  down,  because 
there  seemed  no  other  thing  to  do.  This  service,  however, 
proved  a serious  obstacle  to  touring,  as  neither  preacher 
nor  missionary  is  welcome  in  any  village  after  having 
visited  where  cholera  is  raging.  The  following  experience 
illustrates  the  terrible  dread  that  seized  upon  a community 
during  an  epidemic:  On  a Sunday  afternoon,  while  pass- 
ing through  a certain  village,  I heard  the  sound  of  women 
wailing.  Instantly  I knew  that  some  one  dear  to  those 
women  had  died.  Upon  inquiry  I learned  that  a son  of 
one  of  the  women  had  died  of  cholera  the  preceding  night. 
I searched  the  whole  village  for  some  one  to  help  bury  the 
body.  Every  one  seemed  aghast  at  the  mere  suggestion, 
and  with  no  amount  of  persuasion  could  I get  even  one 
to  assist  me.  Finally  I secured  the  help  of  the  one  able- 
bodied  male  member  of  the  household.  We  carried  out 
the  body,  dug  the  grave,  and  buried  the  remains  of  the 
poor  young  Sudra  lad  just  as  the  dusk  was  gathering. — 
Rtv.  T.  V.  Witter,  Podili,  South  India. 

As  indicated  in  a preceding  chapter,  the  miracles 
of  modern  surgery  always  create  a profound  im- 
pression in  the  mind  of  heathenism.  Owing  to  the 
progress  of  preventive  medicine  and  the  resort  to 
medical  aid  at  the  first  approach  of  disease,  phy- 

[57] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


sicians  in  civilized  lands  are  rarely  called  upon  to 
perform  operations  as  serious  as  some  of  those  in 
mission  hospitals.  Probably  only  in  the  great  hos- 
pitals behind  the  lines  in  France  during  the  war 
were  miracles  of  surgery  performed  which  surpass 
those  on  the  mission  fields  of  Christianity. 

An  emergency  case  was  brought  in  one  night  at  ten 
o’clock.  A man  had  been  plowing  his  field.  The  cow  had 
become  frightened  and  had  run  away,  trailing  the  plow 
behind.  A child  was  in  the  way,  and  the  point  of  the 
plowshare  had  caught  her  in  the  pit  of  the  stomach.  It 
had  gone  through  the  abdominal  wall,  had  grazed  the  stom- 
ach and  the  diaphragm.  The  wound,  to  say  the  least, 
was  somewhat  soiled.  We  summoned  a volunteer  from 
the  boys’  school  to  assist  us,  and  we  finished  the  opera- 
tion after  midnight.  The  patient  recovered  nicely. — C.  B. 
Lesher,  M.  D.,  Chaoyang,  South  China. 

A little  girl  had  been  sick  for  seven  weeks.  At  first 
they  thought  it  was  a slight  affair,  and  called,  one  after 
another,  several  native  doctors,  or  quacks,  as  we  would 
call  them,  until  six  had  seen  her.  Each  waited  his  turn, 
and  without  consultation  with  any  of  the  others  prescribed 
roots,  sticks,  sand,  powdered  bone,  wasps,  snake-skins,  and 
ox-gall.  As  usual,  when  death  is  near,  they  called  the 
mission  doctor.  During  the  eight  weeks  that  had  elapsed 
since  the  onset  of  the  disease  the  appendix  had  gotten 
worse,  until  finally  it  dropped  off,  permitting  the  intestinal 
contents  to  pour  into  the  abdominal  cavity.  After  assur- 
ing them  that  no  amount  of  medicine  nor  any  sum  of 
money  would  save  her  life,  and  that  she  had  a small 
chance  if  she  would  have  an  operation,  they  agreed  to 
take  the  chance,  reasoning  that  since  she  was  practically 
dead  anyhow,  why  not  let  the  doctor  have  a trial.  The 

[.S81 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


father  carried  her  in  his  arms,  the  half-starved  and  half- 
dead little  thing  trying  to  smile,  and  placed  her  in  our 
care.  Upon  the  operating-table  we  found  that  our  diag- 
nosis had  been  correct.  So  sure  were  they  that  she  would 
die  that  they  went  ahead  with  the  funeral  preparation, 
such  as  “ buying  the  boards,”  as  they  call  it,  or  arranging 
for  the  casket  as  we  would  say,  and  had  some  tailors 
busy  night  and  day  making  grave-clothes.  She  did  linger 
close  to  death’s  door  for  three  or  four  days,  but  finally 
began  to  improve  so  that  by  the  twenty-fifth  day  she  was 
ready  to  take  home  with  no  aches  nor  pains  and  looking 
rosy  and  fat.  This  case  made  clear  to  all  the  natives 
that  the  mission  doctor  had  a knife  not  to  be  feared. — 
G.  G.  Davitt,  M.  D.,  Yachowfu,  West  China. 

A Sudra  woman  of  the  carpenter  caste  had  spent  much 
of  her  time  and  substance  in  consulting  Indian  medicine- 
men for  cancer.  Finally  she  was  told  that  the  knife 
alone  might  save  her,  so  she  came  to  us.  With  the  harsh 
treatment  of  burning,  blistering  with  irritating  plasters, 
etc.,  she  was  left  much  worse,  with  an  increased  growth 
and  a running  sore  making  her  much  debilitated.  We 
could  give  her  very  little  hope,  fearing  that  she  might  not 
survive  the  operation.  So  sad  was  her  condition  and  so 
persistent  the  entreaties  of  the  patient  and  her  relatives 
that  we  agreed  to  do  our  best  for  her.  After  a few  days 
of  building-up  we  performed  the  most  serious  of  such 
operations  that  we  have  ever  had.  Four  times  during  the 
operation  her  life  became  uncertain,  and  four  times  with 
hypodermics,  hot  applications,  saline  solutions,  etc.,  she 
was  sustained  and  safely  carried  through.  Forty-two 
stitches  were  required.  She  made  a good  recovery. — /.  S’. 
Timpany,  M.  D.,  Hanumakonda,  South  India. 

One  of  our  patients  was  an  old  gentleman,  who  for 
many  years  had  been  almost  blind.  An  eye  disease  had 

[59] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


turned  his  lower  lids  in  toward  the  eyeball,  which  was 
continually  scraped  by  the  lashes.  Everybody  knows  how 
painful  it  is  and  how  little  one  can  see  if  he  has  a bit  of 
dust  or  a hair  in  his  eye.  Here  is  a man  who  for  many 
years  had  both  eyes  full  of  lashes.  A delicate  operation 
on  both  eyes  and  about  fifteen  days  in  one  of  these  clean 
beds  turned  his  lids  out  the  way  they  ought  to  be,  and, 
as  he  says,  restored  his  eyesight.  The  first  day  he  was 
out  of  the  hospital  he  walked  all  around  the  city  to  see 
his  friends  whom  he  had  not  been  able  to  see  for  years, 
and  to  show  them  what  the  mission  doctor  had  done  for 
his  eyes. — G.  G.  Davitt,  M.  D.,  Yachowfu,  West  China. 

Infant  mortality,  degraded  womanhood,  parental 
tyranny  are  terms  which  bring  to  our  minds  only 
blurred  pictures  of  vague,  indefinable  conditions  of 
living  thousands  of  miles  away.  In  heathenism  the 
grim,  depressing  realities  will  force  themselves  on 
the  attention  of  the  missionary  in  every  village, 
along  every  road,  in  every  home. 

Far  more  than  half  the  babies  born  in  China,  it  is  said, 
die  in  infancy.  We  of  the  hospital  at  Ungkung  can  well 
believe  this  fact.  The  other  day  a nine-days-old  baby,  a 
very  sick  child,  was  brought  in  by  his  grandmother.  If 
the  family  had  not  entirely  despaired  of  saving  the  little 
fellow’s  life,  they  never  would  have  allowed  the  old  granny 
to  bring  him,  or  even  to  go  outside  the  house  door.  In 
China,  owing  to  the  belief  in  evil  spirits,  neither  light  nor 
air  is  allowred  to  touch  the  infant  for  the  first  ten  days  of 
its  life.  It  seems  that  on  this  little  fellow’s  first  day  he 
had  not  been  inclined  to  eat.  In  China  a baby  so  unfor- 
tunate as  not  to  be  born  hungry,  is  forthwith  subjected  to 
a sort  of  “ cure.”  All  the  grannies,  wizards,  and  medicine- 
men are  invited  to  prescribe.  Any  mess,  be  it  ashes  mixed 

[60] 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


with  ground-up  cockroaches,  or  a bunch  of  boiled  green 
grass,  or  powdered  dog  bones,  or  any  other  violent  con- 
coction, is  procured,  prepared,  and  given  to  the  suffering 
infant.  He  has  to  take  it,  for  it  is  thrust  down  his  throat 
with  a long  forefinger.  Occasionally  an  infant  will  sur- 
vive this  violent  treatment,  and  in  such  cases  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  author  of  the  prescription  is  established  in 
the  community,  and  he  will  be  invited  to  repeat  the  treat- 
ment on  other  patients.  This  little  fellow  in  particular 
had  been  treated  to  a long  list  of  heathen  remedies.  We 
did  everything  possible  for  him,  but  nothing  could  over- 
come the  handicap  of  those  terrible  heathen  medicines. — 
H.  W.  Newman,  M.  D.,  Ungkung,  South  China. 

A closed  cart  was  drawn  up  to  the  woman’s  side  of  the 
hospital.  On  inquiry  I was  told  that  a woman  and  her 
two  children  who  were  in  the  cart  were  very  ill,  and  if, 
after  examination,  I was  willing  to  accept  them  as  pa- 
tients, the  friends  would  leave  them  under  my  care.  Feing 
suspicious,  we  took  the  cart  to  a distant  ward,  and  on 
opening  the  curtains  in  which  the  vehicle  was  smothered, 
discovered  an  unconscious,  pulseless  woman  and  two  babes, 
one  four  years,  the  other  six  months  of  age,  both  in  the 
same  condition  as  the  poor  mother.  It  did  not  take  us 
long  to  decide  with  what  we  had  to  deal.  Cholera  in  an 
advanced  and  malignant  form ! Would  we  undertake  to 
treat  them?  If  not,  there  was  nothing  left  to  hope  for, 
as  no  one  would  attempt  the  work  if  we  refused,  nor 
would  they  allow  them  to  enter  the  village.  Of  course 
we  would,  and  did.  Night  and  day  our  assistants  toiled. 
The  mother  lay  in  profound  coma  for  six  days.  On  the 
seventh  day  there  were  signs  of  slowly  returning  con- 
sciousness. Her  friends,  without  hope,  kept  the  covered 
cart  at  the  ward  door  m readiness  to  carry  away  their 
dead.  But  for  the  mother  and  the  older  child  life  tri- 
umphed, and  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  they  were  taken 

[61] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


away  by  relatives  who  were  quite  converted  to  the  efficacy 
of  the  mission  hospital;  nor  could  they  express  all  they 
felt  regarding  the  noble,  self-sacrificing  love  of  our  Chris- 
tian workers.  Who  else  would  have  done  such  a thing? 
Before  the  terror  of  that  dread  disease  the  nearest  rela- 
tives would  have  fled,  fearing  to  hold  even  a cup  of 
water  to  the  dying  lips.  The  tiny  babe  we  could  not  save. 
It  lingered  for  five  days  unconscious.  The  case  was  hope- 
less from  the  first. — Mrs.  F.  W.  Stait,  M.  D.,  Udayagiri, 
South  India. 

One  of  the  cases  now  in  the  hospital  is  of  special  in- 
terest because  of  its  sadness.  It  is  that  of  a young  girl 
who  has  been  making  a gallant  fight  against  typhoid  fever, 
but  it  is  a losing  battle,  and  tonight  she  will  probably  pass 
over  the  line.  Her  parents  are  distracted.  The  poor 
father  has  waylaid  me  several  times  a day  and  pleaded 
with  me  to  save  his  daughter.  He  told  me  she  was  his 
only  child,  and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  said  it. 
The  mother  also  shows  great  affection  for  her  daughter, 
and  no  wonder,  for  she  is  a lovely  girl.  But  sad  as  their 
grief  is,  it  is  sadder  to  me  to  read  on  the  slip  of  one  of 
the  nurses  who  has  been  doing  evangelistic  work  in  the 
ward  where  this  patient  is,  the  following  comment : “ The 
girl  in  Ward  VI,  No.  4,  said,  ‘ I received  Christ  long  ago 
and  am  ready  to  be  baptized,  but  my  parents  do  not  ap- 
prove, and  so  I must  wait  until  I am  old  enough  to  be 
independent.’  ” For  this  she  has  been  waiting,  and  the 
responsibility  lies  at  the  door  of  the  parents.  Is  it  not 
sad  that  the  young  people  are  hindered  in  this  waj"? — 
R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 

The  medical  missionary  must  be  a man  of  rare 
patience.  He  must  be  prepared  constantly  to  meet 
competition,  not  with  other  missionaries,  but  with 

[62] 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


heathen  practitioners,  witch-doctors,  quacks,  and 
the  innumerable  variety  of  native  medicine-men. 
Superstition  flourishes  in  heathenism  like  seaweed 
on  the  bed  of  the  sea.  It  is  a part  of  the  very  struc- 
ture of  pagan  civilization.  Native  practices  and 
customs,  the  heritage  of  centuries,  will  require  simi- 
larly long  periods  of  time  for  their  eradication.  It 
is  but  to  be  expected  that  the  medical  missionary 
will  And  many  cases  whose  unusual  character  is  due 
to  the  constant  harassing  interference  on  the  part 
of  medicine-men,  who  see  in  him  the  terminator  of 
their  lucrative  careers. 

Among  the  many  cases  treated,  one  comes  to  my  mind 
which  illustrates  with  what  difficulty  and  under  what  a 
handicap  we  labor  in  trying  to  displace  either  the  religion 
of  this  people  or  their  native  treatments  for  the  sick. 
The  chief  wife  of  the  native  Shan  ruler  of  Mongnai 
State  had  an  abscess  on  her  left  shoulder  which  gradually 
grew  worse  despite  native  treatment.  She  told  the  local 
British  official  about  it,  and  he  advised  her  to  call  me 
to  treat  her,  but  she  demurred,  saying,  “ But  he  will  cut 
me!”  To  which  the  British  official  readily  assented,  say- 
ing it  must  be  cut  in  order  to  get  well  again.  This  frank 
statement  as  to  what  I might  do  to  her  was  not  suffi- 
ciently attractive  for  her  to  abandon  her  native  doctors. 
In  the  meantime  the  abscess  had  become  very  painful, 
and  she  was  suffering  day  and  night  with  the  pain,  which 
kept  steadily  increasing.  When  her  condition  made  her 
an  object  of  disgust  to  those  around  her,  she  finally  called 
me  to  treat  her.  When  she  did  call  me  she  had  fifteen 
of  the  best  native  medicine-men  she  could  get  in  the 
country  treating  her,  and  she  was  so  weak  that  she  had 
I to  be  held  up  in  a sitting  posture  by  four  female  at'cn- 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


dants.  The  abscess  was  now  almost  as  large  as  one’s 
two  hands  held  together,  while  her  general  condition  made 
me  despair  of  saving  her  life.  The  large  abscess  had 
had  no  washing  or  any  antiseptics  whatever,  and  was 
covered  with  huge  green  leaves.  The  native  doctors  had  all 
said  that  the  abscess  was  due  to  an  evil  spirit  which  had 
entered  the  princess,  so  their  treatment  was  confined  to 
sprinkling  powdered  barks  over  the  abscess,  covering  it 
with  green  leaves,  and  in  muttering  incantations  over  their 
unfortunate  but  loyal  and  obedient  patient,  whom  they 
had  also  nearly  starved  by  denying  her  many  foods.  A 
very  hasty  inspection  of  the  ulceration  was  enough  for 
me  to  see  what  I was  up  against,  with  fifteen  hostile 
medicine-men  around  just  wanting  a chance  to  make  trou- 
ble for  one  who  was  taking  a very  profitable  patient  out 
of  their  hands.  We  got  busy — fulfilling  the  prophecy  of 
the  British  official  by  using  the  knife  very  freely  indeed, 
not  once,  but  on  several  different  occasions,  before  she 
finally  recovered.  She  is  now  as  strong  as  ever;  but  she 
will  carry  that  scar  for  the  rest  of  her  life!  For  four 
months  we  went  to  the  palace  daily  and  worked  for  an 
hour  each  day  in  treating  our  royal  patient,  who  rapidly 
became  free  from  pain,  was  able  to  sleep  and  to  eat  what- 
ever she  wanted  to.  At  first  I had  to  lay  the  law  down 
very  emphatically  about  those  fifteen  native  medicine-men 
and  myself : I simply  would  not  stand  colaboring  with 
them;  it  was  either  my  services  alone,  or  else  I would 
go,  and  she  could  have  them  all  back  again  I After  two 
days’  treatment,  however,  she  felt  so  much  better  that  I 
had  no  trouble  whatever  with  my  medical  rivals,  who  dis- 
appeared from  the  scene.  Day  by  day  I was  able  to 
preach  a little  to  the  princess  and  her  attendants,  and 
also  prayed  with  her  and  taught  her  to  pray.  Of  her  own 
free-will  and  without  my  urging  it,  she  promised  to  at- 
tend the  preaching  services  in  our  chapels.  Our  work 
has  achieved  some  prestige  from  this  case,  and  the  native 

[64] 


A Surgical  Patient  in  the  Philippine  Islands 


A Poor  Chinese  Beggar,  whose  Sight  was  Restored 
by  the  Missionary  Physician 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


ruler  and  his  wife  are  more  grateful  and  friendly  to  us 
than  ever  before. — H.  C.  Gibhens,  M.  D.,  Mongmi,  Burma. 

Last  March  a gentleman  consulted  me  in  great  distress 
about  his  father,  who,  as  I soon  found,  had  a large  car- 
buncle on  the  back  of  his  neck.  Of  course  incision  was 
necessary,  but  it  was  only  after  long  and  earnest  per- 
suasion that  permission  was  granted,  and  then  only  under 
local,  instead  of  general,  anesthesia;  but  hardly  had  I 
begun  the  work  when  the  son  stayed  my  hand,  and  we 
practised  patience  instead  of  surgery.  Then  followed  an- 
other long  conversation,  after  which  it  was  decided  that 
I should  return  the  next  day  with  an  assistant,  and  with 
the  aid  of  chloroform  do  the  thing  properly.  I have  been 
many  years  in  China,  but  I confess  I was  taken  aback  at 
the  reception  we  were  given — most  courteous,  but  still  fear- 
ful. We  were  kept  waiting  some  time  before  the  son 
appeared,  and  then  instead  of  announcing  that  all  was 
! ready,  which  of  course  I did  not  expect,  he  came  armed 
! with  a written  memorandum  of  the  questions  and  diffi- 
i culties  that  had  occurred  to  him  and  doubtless  to  other 
anxious  friends.  Would  it  hurt?  Would  the  old  gentle- 
1 man  “ come  out  ” after  the  chloroform  ? How  much  must 
he  take? — altogether  a total  of  forty-nine  questions,  by 
actual  count.  At  one  point  in  the  interrogation  he  pro- 
1 duced  a diagram  of  the  carbuncle  he  had  made  and  asked 
me  to  indicate  the  location  of  the  cuts  I proposed  to 
i make.  How  deep  would  they  be?  Could  I not  dispense 
I with  one  here  or  there?  Fut  at  last,  after  an  hour  and 
I more  of  waiting,  we  were  admitted  to  the  bedside.  In 
the  many  daily  visits  that  followed  there  were  often 
tedious  and  sometimes  vexatious  delays.  “He  has  just 
fallen  asleep;  will  you  please  sit  a bit  till  he  wakens?” 
1 Or  perhaps  he  was  having  a spell  of  indigestion  and  would 
prefer  to  defer  the  call  till  later.  To  save  my  time  I 
( repeatedly  urged  him  to  enter  the  hospital,  but  the  con- 

' [65] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


veniences  of  home,  coupled  with  a real  fear,  held  him  too 
strongly  where  he  was.  But  at  last  it  was  all  done,  even 
including  two  skin-graftings,  which  had  to  be  performed 
without  the  patient’s  knowledge,  lest  he  should  become 
alarmed.  The  result  was  perfect. — F.  W.  Goddard,  M.  D., 
Shaohsing,  East  China. 

Across  the  river  are  villages,  to  enter  which  was  to  risk 
one’s  life.  From  one  of  these  villages  there  came  several 
people  with  sleeping-sickness  some  months  ago.  Among 
them  was  a big,  burly  savage  with  a bristling  beard  all 
over  his  face.  His  name,  Mpimbamvulu,  meant  “ Dark- 
ness of  the  Storm,”  and  he  looked  it.  As  that  name  was 
too  long  for  eveo'-day  use,  we  called  him  Mandevo,  or 
“ Whiskers.”  Well,  Whiskers  was  thick-skinned  and  mus- 
cular and  very  black,  and  he  was  often  inclined  to  skip 
the  treatments.  But  the  big  wife  that  brought  him  here 
made  him  step  right  up  and  take  his  medicine.  She  did 
not  intend  spending  six  months  of  her  time  looking  after 
a disagreeable  sick  man  and  another  six  months  mourn- 
ing for  him.  But  the  wife’s  stock  of  food  was  soon  ex- 
hausted, and  she  went  home  for  more.  One  morning 
soon  after  Whiskers  was  missing.  We  concluded  we  had 
seen  the  last  of  him.  About  a w'eek  later  w'e  saw  him 
coming  up  the  path  from  the  river,  with  a well-filled 
haversack  slung  over  his  shoulder,  and  a line  of  other  sick 
people  following.  At  the  end  of  the  line  was  a tottering 
skeleton  in  the  last  stages  of  sleeping-sickness.  The  pa- 
tients were  assured  that  there  was  hope  for  all  but  the 
skeleton. — W.  H.  Leslie,  M.  D.,  Vanga,  Africa. 

Unusual  cases  bring  unusual  rewards;  extraordi- 
nary success  brings  extraordinary  expressions  of 
gratitude ; for  the  non-Christian  world  appreciates 
the  ministry  of  healing.  The  reward  of  the  medi- 
cal missionary  is  something  more  than  the  satisfac- 

[66] 


UNUSUAL  CASES 


tion  which  comes  from  a professional  task  well  per- 
formed. Patients  who  can  do  so,  cheerfully  pay 
for  medicines  and  treatments.  Others  unable  to 
pay  hold  the  missionary  physician  in  esteem  and  af- 
fection even  long  after  their  disease  and  its  cure 
have  come  to  be  only  a memory.  Occasionally  the 
doctor  is  the  recipient  of  high  honors  and  extraor- 
dinary attention  as  a token  of  appreciation  of  his 
services. 

Real  service  brings  forth  real  gratitude.  One  of  the 
highest  honors  to  be  paid  to  a physician,  and  one  rarely 
employed,  was  employed  by  a patient  in  Ningyuanfu.  A 
man  of  sixty-five  brought  his  only  son  for  treatment. 
The  boy  had  suffered  the  most  excruciating  pain  for  years 
and  had  been  treated  by  every  recommendation  the  coun- 
tryside could  offer,  without  relief.  Operation  under  very 
unfavorable  circumstances  was  followed  by  an  uneventful 
recovery.  To  save  the  only  son  of  a man  of  sixty-five 
years  in  China  was  to  bless  him  beyond  expression.  Hand- 
bills were  written  and  posted  at  all  the  prominent  places 
in  city  and  countryside  telling  of  the  sleeping  medicine 
taken,  the  operation,  the  subsequent  care  and  complete 
recovery  of  the  son,  and  the  father’s  gratitude.  He  told 
the  fable  of  an  old  man  who  had  once  nursed  an  injured 
bird  back  to  strength.  As  the  bird  was  liberated,  it  flew 
back  to  say  that  it  was  a messenger  from  heaven  sent  to 
test  him,  and  as  a reward  would  bestow  upon  the  man 
certain  honors  and  rewards.  The  grateful  father  wrote: 
“ Would  that  I had  such  power  as  that  possessed  by  the 
yellow  bird,  that  I might  bestow  such  honors  and  riches 
upon  the  foreigners  who  have  come  among  us  to  perform 
these  deeds  of  mercy ! ” — /.  C.  Humphreys,  M.  D.,  Ning- 
yuanfu, West  China. 


[67] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Thus  the  medical  missionary  goes  on  his  way, 
healing  the  sick,  curing  the  almost  incurable,  restor- 
ing the  sight  to  the  blind,  bringing  unspeakable  joy 
and  happiness  to  thousands  of  sufferers,  who  but 
for  his  healing  touch  would  be  destined  to  endless 
misery  and  despair.  In  the  great  cities  of  heathen- 
ism, in  the  towns  and  villages,  along  the  highways, 
and  along  jungle  paths,  wherever  suffering  hu- 
manity has  gathered,  there  the  modem  followers  of 
the  Great  Physician  are  bringing  the  ministry  of 
healing. 


[68] 


CHAPTER  IV 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND 
EVANGELISM 


And  he  ordained  twelve,  that  they  should  be  with 
him,  and  that  he  might  send  them  forth  to  preach. 
And  to  have  power  to  heal  sicknesses,  and  to  cast  out 
devils. — Mark  3 : 14,  15. 


CHAPTER  IV 


Medical  Missions  and  Evangelism 

The  work  of  the  medical  missionary  is  of  incal- 
culable value  in  the  evangelization  of  the  non-Chris- 
tian world.  Thousands  of  doors  in  heathenism, 
which  under  all  other  circumstances  would  be  closed 
to  any  missionary  endeavor,  are  opened  at  the  ap- 
proach of  the  physician.  His  disinterested  service 
creates  a profound  impression.  Like  his  Master, 
this  modern  follower  of  the  Great  Physician  comes 
to  the  non-Christian  world  not  to  be  ministered  unto 
but  to  minister.  In  many  instances  he  has  given 
his  own  life  in  order  that  other  lives  might  be  saved. 
Although  medical  missions  should  never  be  looked 
upon  as  a proselyting  agency,  it  is  nevertheless  easy 
to  understand  how  the  physician  through  his  heal- 
ing ministry  produces  an  openness  of  mind,  a recep- 
tivity of  heart,  and  a readiness  to  hear  the  story  of 
Christ  whose  reincarnation  in  the  lives  of  his  fol- 
lowers has  made  Christian  missions  possible.  The 
medical  missionary  never  forces  Christianity  upon 
an  unwilling  listener,  for  the  reason  that  such  pro- 
cedure is  never  necessary.  Saved  from  death,  cured 
of  disease,  relieved  of  suffering — what  patient 
would  be  unwilling  to  learn  more  of  the  Great 

[71] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Physician  in  whose  name  the  doctor  has  applied  his 
healing  art  ? 

Methods  of  Evangelism 

There  are  a number  of  methods  by  which  medical 
missions  contribute  directly  to  evangelism.  Prac- 
tically all  are  employed  at  mission  hospitals  or  dis- 
pensaries and  in  the  stations  where  medical  mission- 
aries are  in  residence. 

Chapel  services  are  maintained  regularly  in  con- 
nection with  all  Baptist  hospitals.  These  take  the 
form  of  daily  devotional  meetings,  with  brief  talks 
and  regular  preaching  services  on  Sundays.  Such 
services  are  conducted  by  the  physician  himself  or 
by  the  resident  evangelistic  missionary,  or  more 
commonly  by  the  native  evangelists  on  the  hospital 
staff.  All  patients  not  confined  to  their  beds  attend 
these  meetings,  and  for  those  unable  to  visit  the 
chapel  special  religious  services  are  held  in  the  hos- 
pital wards. 

Personal  interviews  with  patients  are  of  excep- 
tional value.  The  physicians  or  the  nurses,  after 
new  dressings  have  been  applied  and  their  patients 
have  been  made  comfortable,  or  the  hospital  evan- 
gelists sitting  at  the  bedsides  of  sick  men  and 
women,  usually  find  that  these  are  the  opportune 
times  to  tell  the  story  of  Him  who  came  to  save 
men  from  their  sins.  The  zeal  of  the  hospital  evan- 
gelist or  Bible-woman,  whom  patients  recognize  as 
of  their  own  people,  and  who  years  before  were  liv- 

[72] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


ing  in  heathenism  like  themselves,  always  makes  a 
deep  impression.  The  obvious  contrast  between 
the  light  which,  reflected  from  the  Light  of  the 
World,  shines  from  their  happy  countenances  and 
the  darkness  and  despair  amid  which  the  sufferer 
has  wandered  for  years,  is  enough  to  awaken  in 
any  patient  a searching  inquiry  as  to  the  efficacy  of 
his  own  religion. 

The  distribution  of  Christian  literature  also  plays 
an  important  part  in  medical  evangelism.  Patients 
are  encouraged  to  read  the  Bible.  Portions  of 
Scripture  and  religious  tracts  are  sold  or  furnished 
free  to  all  callers  at  the  dispensaries.  Many  a con- 
vert has  been  won  through  some  copy  of  the  New 
Testament  which  he  received  when  calling  at  some 
dispensary  for  medical  treatment  or  while  lying  in 
a hospital  bed  convalescing  from  a severe  illness. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  letters  of  Baptist 
medical  missionaries  indicate  the  manifold  ways  in 
which  medical  missions  contribute  so  directly  to  the 
work  of  evangelism: 

Our  hospital  evangelist  has  continued  his  good  work 
among  the  thousands  who  have  visited  our  hospital.  He 
has  had  the  enviable  position  of  being  able  to  preach  day 
after  day  to  those  who  have  come  to  us.  In  our  dis- 
pensaries we  have  received  patients  from  1,821  different 
villages,  and  all  these  with  their  numerous  relatives  and 
friends  have  heard  the  gospel  and  have  carried  back  with 
them  Christian  literature  to  their  villages.  Who  can  ques- 
tion the  great  Christianizing  influence  of  medical  mission 
work! — /.  5.  Tinipany,  M.  D.,  Hanumakonda,  South  India. 

[73] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


The  best  part  of  the  work  is  the  happy  time  we  are  . 
having  in  a religious  way.  My  office  is  isolated,  and  I ' 
have  a fine  chance  to  put  in  a word  on  religion  with  the  J 
patients,  after  I have  met  the  physical  need.  Quite  a ' 
number  have  purchased  Bibles  or  Testaments  and  many 
agree  to  come  to  Bible  classes.  Today  I had  a good  chance  j 
to  have  an  earnest  talk  with  a senior  about  joining  the 
church.  It  was  inspiring  to  see  his  face  light  up  when 
we  talked  of  these  things. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo, 
Philippine  Islands. 

In  the  wards  we  encourage  every  one  who  can  read, 
even  though  poorly,  to  take  turns  in  reading  Bible  verses. 
The  other  day  an  educated  Buddhist  priest  came  into  our 
hospital  as  an  in-patient.  At  first  he  was  unwilling  to 
take  his  turn,  but  soon  he  fell  into  line,  and  now  shows 
interest  in  the  Bible.  Imagine  one  of  the  gentry,  a priest, 
a merchant,  a farmer,  a tailor,  a fisherman,  and  several 
others  taking  their  turns  daily  in  reading  verses  out  of 
the  New  Testament  at  our  morning  prayers.  Where  else 
could  one  see  such  a sight? — J.  S.  Grant,  M.  D.,  Ningpo, 
East  China. 

Each  patient  who  comes  to  the  dispensary  receives  either 
a Gospel  portion  or  a good  tract.  We  use  these  instead 
of  cards  for  dispensary  record,  and  the  patients  are  re- 
quired to  bring  these  back  when  coming  for  future  treat- 
ments. Wherever  possible,  we  get  them  to  buy  a Gospel 
portion  for  this  purpose.  The  other  day  a Brahman  priest, 
who  had  been  listening  to  the  evangelist  and  evidently 
had  become  interested,  came  over  to  the  bungalow  and 
said  he  wanted  to  " buy  books  telling  about  God.”  Who 
can  estimate  the  results  of  such  " sowing  the  seed  ” among 
the  inhabitants  of  600  villages? — J.  W.  Stenger,  M.  D., 
Nellore,  South  India. 

Great  stress  is  being  laid  upon  the  daily  Bible  study, 
prayer,  and  conference,  with  the  hospital  staff  of  helpers. 

[74] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


It  is  most  gratifying  to  see  the  young  men  in  the  service 
of  the  hospital  make  public  allegiance  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  In  all  our  activities  there  is  this  great  objective 
before  us — whether  in  the  daily  treatments,  in  Bible  study, 
in  the  ward  meetings,  or  in  our  social  relations — that  the 
patient  may  know  Jesus  Christ,  whom  to  know  is  life. — 
C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

We  have  twenty-six  nurses  enrolled.  The  demand  for 
our  nurses  in  the  homes  of  the  residents  here  is  con- 
tinually increasing,  and  their  work  is  appreciated.  The 
best  feature  is  the  fact  that  all  of  the  nurses  are  openly 
avowed  followers  of  Christ.  This  fact  gives  promise  of 
an  evangelistic  influence  wherever  they  go.  The  aim  of 
the  hospital  is  to  evangelize  as  well  as  to  cure  the  sick, 
and  bedside  evangelism  is  carried  on  most  effectively  by 
these  nurses. — R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  Iloilo,  Philippine 
Islands. 

We  have  evangelistic  services  for  the  patients  every 
morning,  and  individual  evangelistic  work  with  ward  ser- 
vices through  the  day.  We  have  a card  system  for  our 
follow-up  work.  This  is  in  charge  of  the  hospital  evan- 
gelist. Whenever  a patient  is  discharged  a card  is  filled 
out,  giving  the  necessary  particulars  about  him,  and  sent 
to  the  evangelist  who  works  that  part  of  the  field  where 
the  patient  lives.  We  have  had  some  very  encouraging 
results  from  this  work.  We  have  a regular  preaching 
service  in  the  chapel  of  the  hospital  every  Sunday  morn- 
ing, and  last,  but  not  least,  we  have  a Sunday  school 
every  Sunday  afternoon.  The  attendance  at  this  has 
ranged  from  75  to  150  all  winter.  Our  opportunities  in 
this  direction  seem  only  limited  by  the  space  at  our  dis- 
posal and  the  teachers  available. — Mrs.  C.  D.  Leach, 
Huchow,  East  China. 

The  hospital  evangelist  has  been  faithful  in  daily  teach- 
ing the  gospel  in  the  wards  and  in  the  dispensary.  Him- 

[75] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


dreds  of  the  gospel  tracts  have  been  distributed,  and  many 
of  the  patients  have  shown  more  than  an  ordinary  in- 
terest in  the  message.  The  evangelist  reports  some  thirty 
patients  who  enrolled  as  inquirers  in  a special  study  class, 
or  took  some  work  in  the  Bible  school. — C.  E.  Tompkins, 
M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

There  has  been  progress  in  the  department  of  nursing 
which  makes  for  efficiency  as  well  as  the  added  comfort 
of  patients  staying  in  the  hospital.  The  hourly  contact 
with  patients  by  an  interested  and  capable  nursing  staff 
means  more  even  than  does  a good  doctor’s  occasional 
visits.  Our  nurses  are  all  Christian,  for  we  stand  first 
as  a Christian  mission.  It  is  largely  due  to  their  close 
and  constant  contact  with  the  patients  that  our  evangelistic 
work  has  been  so  successful. — C.  H.  Barlow,  M.  D.,  Shaoh- 
sing.  East  China. 

In  the  men’s  wards  it  has  been  a great  delight  to  hear 
the  patients  intelligently  discussing  the  truths  brought  out 
in  the  evening  prayers.  The  new  patients  do  not  under- 
stand, and  ask  questions  that  are  usually  answered  by  an 
old  patient.  Our  evening  services  are  held  in  the  wards, 
as  many  of  our  patients  are  confined  to  their  beds.  A 
goodly  number  are  not  only  willing,  but  anxious  to  learn. 
Part  of  the  day  an  outsider  would  think  the  wards  a 
schoolroom  instead  of  a hospital. — J,  S.  Grant,  M.  D., 
Ningpo,  East  China. 

A young  woman,  suffering  from  Saint  Vitus’  dance,  was 
brought  in,  and  in  a few  weeks  she  was  almost  well. 
Through  the  daily  talks  with  our  preacher  the  family  had 
come  to  know  and  love  our  God.  Now  every  day  their 
prayers  go  up  with  ours  to  “ our  Father,  who  art  in 
heaven.”  Do  you  wonder  I love  the  work  and  count  it  a 
joy  to  be  here  serving  the  Master? — Miss  Sigrid  C.  John- 
son, Ongole,  South  India. 


[76] 


Dr.  Catherine  L.  Mabie  Conducting  a Children’s  Hour 
in  Kimpese,  Belgian  Congo 


Dr.  C.  E.  Tompkins  Preaching  in  his  Hospital 
at  Suifu,  West  China 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


In  the  dispensary  a good  many  women  receive  their 
introduction  to  Christianity.  A Chinese  woman  rarely 
comes  alone;  a relative  or  two,  or  even  three,  must  come 
along  to  see  what  is  going  on,  so  it  does  not  take  long 
before  there  is  a whole  room  full  of  women  who  are 
listening  to  the  gospel  message.  Some  of  them  come  a 
long  time  before  dispensary  hours,  even  so  much  as  four 
hours  before.  During  the  time  of  waiting  the  Bible-woman 
speaks  personally  to  each  patient  as  she  comes  in,  and 
when  they  are  all  gathered  together  she  preaches  to  them 
until  the  arrival  of  the  doctor.  The  doctor,  with  the 
native  nurses,  then  sees  to  the  physical  wants  of  the 
patients.  As  the  more  weH-to-do  Chinese  women  do  not 
care  to  mix  with  the  poorer  classes,  we  have  arranged 
for  them  to  come  to  the  doctor’s  office,  paying,  of  course, 
a larger  fee.  These  patients  are  received  by  a tactful 
native  nurse,  and  over  the  inevitable  cup  of  tea  their 
minds  are  led  from  the  usual  polite  talk  to  that  which 
is  nearest  and  dearest  to  our  hearts.  While  they  tell  us 
I of  their  ills  we  tell  them  of  Him  who  is  able  to  save  the 
! soul  as  well  as  to  heal  the  body.  In  calling  at  homes  is 
an  unusual  opportunity  for  telling  of  Jesus.  As  soon  as 
the  doctor  and  native  nurses  enter  the  house,  if  it  is  of 
i a poor  woman,  say  a hut,  all  the  women  of  the  neigh- 
boring huts  come  crowding  in,  so  there  is  soon  an  audi- 
ence as  large  as  one  cares  to  have.  These  people  are 
good  listeners  too.  The  most  of  these  calls  are  to  women 
I who  are  in  the  throes  of  childbirth,  women  who  have 
' been  in  labor  for  several  days.  The  native  midwives  have 
done  their  best — we  should  say  their  worst;  the  native 
doctor  too  has  prescribed,  although  of  course  not  seen 
the  woman;  yet  the  baby  remains  unborn.  Then  the  doc- 
tor and  her  assistant,  with  the  help  of  God,  gives  the 
' family  a living  child;  or,  if  called  too  late  for  that,  at 
I least  saves  the  life  of  the  woman.  Who  would  not  listen 
j under  such  circumstances?  The  doctor  is  the  talk  of  the 

I [77] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


neighborhood  for  days,  and  out  from  among  these  women 
there  are  always  some  who  come  to  the  regular  services 
at  the  church. — Emilie  Bretthauer,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West 
China. 

Contributing  Influences 

Certain  aspects  in  the  work  of  the  missionary 
physician  should  be  mentioned,  because  they  con- 
tribute so  largely  to  the  success  of  medical  missions 
as  an  evangelizing  agency. 

Altruistic  Service 

The  actual  presence  of  the  doctor  in  the  heathen 
community  is  a source  of  never-ending  wonder  to 
the  inhabitants.  Altruistic  service  and  disinterested 
humanitarianism  are  inconceivable  to  the  non-Chris- 
tian world.  It  is  incomprehensible  that  any  for- 
eigner should  come  thousands  of  miles  from  home 
for  no  other  reason  than  to  be  of  service  to  hu- 
manity. Heathenism  is  constantly  inquiring  as  to 
the  personal  profit  which  prompts  the  physician  to 
engage  in  this  task.  Confucianism  and  Buddhism 
and  other  Oriental  religions  do  not  build  hospitals 
for  the  sick  nor  send  out  doctors  to  rescue  the  phy- 
sically perishing.  In  the  mind  of  heathenism  such 
a ministry  of  love  and  mercy  before  the  advent  of 
the  missionary  physician  simply  did  not  exist.  Hav- 
ing been  compelled  to  accept  the  inconceivable  as 
an  accomplished  fact,  the  average  heathen  man  or 
woman  soon  comes  to  recognize  that  the  message 
of  the  man  who  renders  such  altruistic  service  is  at 

[78] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


least  worthy  of  respectful  consideration.  The  char- 
acter of  the  missionary  and  the  motive  which 
prompts  his  service  compel  attention. 

There  were  rare  opportunities  too  of  impressing  upon 
the  wounded  men  as  they  rested  in  the  hospital  wards 
day  after  day  the  fact  that  many  of  them  literally  owed 
their  lives  to  Christ,  and  all  were  indebted  to  him  for 
the  relief  of  pain  and  the  healing  of  their  wounds.  For 
had  it  not  been  for  the  Christ,  his  message  to  men,  and 
his  example  of  loving  service,  there  would  have  been  no 
hospital  at  Suifu,  and  no  clean  dressings  for  their  wounds. 
— C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

Gratitude 

Furthermore,  the  average  patient  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  sheer  gratitude  for  relief  from  suffer- 
ing feels  under  moral  obligation  to  listen  with  open 
mind  to  the  missionary’s  story  of  the  Great  Physi- 
cian who  has  sent  him  to  the  non-Christian  world. 
The  human  heart  is  the  same  all  over  the  world, 
and  during  periods  of  sickness  or  convalesence  is 
more  open  to  spiritual  truth  and  more  appreciative 
of  acts  of  kindness  than  during  health  and  pros- 
perity. Many  a patient  through  gratitude  is  led  to 
consider  the  claims  of  Jesus  Christ  on  his  life. 
Many  a relative  of  a loved  one  saved  by  the  skill  of 
the  missionary  physician,  - if  he  does  not  become  a 
personal  disciple,  at  least  gives  his  endorsement  and 
approval  to  Christianity  as  the  religion  for  his  com- 
munity. On  his  way  to  catch  a boat  with  only  a 
few  minutes  to  spare,  a medical  missionary  was 

[79] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


called  in  to  attend  a boy  who  had  fallen  from  a roof 
and  had  seriously  injured  his  face.  The  physician 
made  the  boy  as  comfortable  as  possible  but  missed 
the  boat,  and  thereby  delayed  his  journey  an  entire 
day.  The  boy’s  father  happened  to  be  a wealthy 
banker,  and  out  of  gratitude  he  told  the  missionary 
that  if  he  intended  to  build  a church  in  that  com- 
munity the  banker  would  give  a large  subscription 
and  would  also  personally  solicit  his  friends  for 
their  contributions. 

In  a room  filled  with  smoke  from  cooking,  and  in  a 
bed  under  which  the  pig  made  its  home,  I found  one  of 
my  Chinese  patients,  a man  of  twenty,  suffering  from 
lockjaw.  At  first  “No”  was  the  only  answer  to  my 
questions  whether  the  man  had  injured  himself  with  an 
unclean  instrument.  Finally,  the  mother  remembered  that 
he  had  cut  his  foot  a few  weeks  before,  “ but  that  is  en- 
tirely well,”  she  added.  All  that  remained  of  the  wound 
was  a pin-sized  hole.  I operated  and  found  a piece  of 
wood  lodged  deep  in  the  foot.  The  boy  was  sent  to  the 
dispensary  for  further  treatment.  As  a result  of  his  cure 
the  family  rejected  its  old  gods  and  has  accepted  Chris- 
tianity. “ We  believe  in  Jesus,  and  we  pray  to  him,”  they 
said.  “ Our  old  gods  have  not  helped.” — C.  B.  Lesher, 
M.  D.,  Chaoyang,  South  China. 

Undermining  Native  Superstition 

Another  influence  which  tends  to  make  the  non- 
Christian  world  more  responsive  to  the  evangelistic 
appeal  is  found  in  the  undermining  effect  of  medical 
missions  on  native  superstition  and  prejudice.  The 
rational  treatment  and  cure  of  disease  removes  for- 


[80] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


ever  the  belief  that  its  origin  was  due  to  evil  spirits. 
An  evangelistic  missionary  may  preach  for  hours 
about  the  inefficacy  of  idols  and  the  futility  of  idol- 
worship,  whereas  the  physician,  through  a surgical 
operation  or  the  application  of  some  soothing  medi- 
cine or  even  the  simple  extraction  of  a tooth,  at 
once  proves  to  the  Oriental  mind  that  demons  have 
no  existence  and  that  idols  are  powerless  to  help. 
Having  satisfied  himself  as  to  the  efficacy  of  the 
foreigner’s  medicine,  having  become  convinced  that 
his  own  religion  is  of  no  value,  nothing  could  be 
more  natural  than  that  the  native  should  take  a very 
real  interest  in  the  foreigner’s  religion.  However 
prejudiced  a man  may  be,  it  is  very  rare  indeed  that 
the  sunshine  of  loving-kindness  and  the  warm  sym- 
pathetic touch  of  the  doctor  or  nurse  fail  to  melt 
the  icy  barrier  of  opposition.  Of  course  as  one 
of  the  incidents  shows,  care  must  be  taken  lest  the 
new  convert,  having  renounced  an  extreme  and  un- 
reasonable faith  in  idols,  shall  permit  the  growth  of 
an  equally  extreme  and  irrational  faith  in  Qiristi- 
anity. 

A considerable  number  of  major  operations  have  been 
successfully  performed  during  the  year,  including  four 
abdominal  sections.  These  latter  Avere  far-advanced  cases, 
huge  tumors  in  three  instances.  Their  removal  and  the 
return  of  the  patients  to  their  villages,  cured,  have  given 
quite  a wide  reputation  to  the  hospital.  Our  traveling 
evangelist  says  he  hears  about  those  operations  wherever 
he  goes,  even  in  the  distant  villages.  It  seems  that  no 
abdominal  surgery  has  been  done  in  this  district  before, 

[81] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


and  the  common,  uneducated  people  are  all  amazed  that 
it  can  be  done!  These  four  cases  were  in  the  hospital  a 
long  time,  and  so  we  had  excellent  opportunities  to  speak 
of  the  Great  Physician.  Each  one  of  these  four  gave 
testimony  before  leaving  that  hereafter  only  the  living 
Christ  would  be  worshiped. — J.  W.  Stenger,  M.  D.,  Nel- 
lort,  South  India. 

The  worst  difficulty  we  have  is  when  we  come  in  con- 
tact with  idol-worship,  which  flourishes  throughout  this 
city.  Patients  will  insist  on  consulting  the  will  of  the 
idol  before  allowing  the  doctor  to  operate.  The  method 
used  is  something  like  this : The  questioner  kneels  in 
front  of  the  idol  and  ask  a point-blank  question,  “ Shall 
we  let  the  foreign  doctor  do  as  he  thinks  best  ? ” At  the 
same  time  a half-moon  shaped  piece  of  wood  is  thrown 
in  the  air  before  the  plaster  image.  If  it  comes  down 
flat  side  up,  the  answer  is  " No  ” ; round  side  up,  " Yes.” 
The  other  day  I wished  to  operate  on  a poor  little  fellow 
who  had  been  brought  in  with  a crushed  leg.  When  I 
had  explained  the  process  necessary  to  the  parents  they 
excused  themselves  to  go  off  and  consult  an  idol  near-by, 
which  had  been  particularly  recommended  to  them.  They 
came  back  saying  that  all  they  wished  was  a little  medi- 
cine to  rub  on  the  child’s  leg.  Evidently  the  die  had  fallen 
on  the  negative  side.  When  I refused  to  back  down  from 
my  position,  however,  they  went  away  again  to  consult 
another  idol,  this  time  with  favorable  results.  The  boy 
and  his  mother  will  be  in  our  hospital  for  several  months 
hearing  the  gospel  of  truth.  Perhaps  faith  in  the  true 
God  may  take  the  place  of  superstition. — H.  W.  Newman, 
M.  D.,  Ungkung,  South  China. 

One  woman  came  in  for  treatment  for  chronic  trachoma. 
Her  eyes  had  been  sore  for  a long  time,  but  she  would 
not  come  to  the  hospital  for  treatment.  At  last  her  eyes 

[82] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


got  so  bad  she  had  to  come.  She  was  almost  blind.  She 
was  prejudiced  against  Christianity  before  she  came,  and 
had  made  up  her  mind  that  she  was  not  going  to  become 
a Christian.  At  first  one  of  the  nurses  had  to  hunt  for 
her  every  morning  to  see  that  she  came  to  chapel.  After 
she  had  been  there  a week  or  ten  days  she  came  herself 
without  any  urging.  Finally  she  became  so  interested  that 
she  was  the  first  one  in  her  seat  in  the  mornings.  Her 
eyes  were  slowly  responding  to  treatment,  and  she  had  to 
remain  in  the  hospital  almost  three  months.  When  her 
eyes  were  well,  her  heart  also  was  changed,  and  now  she 
is  an  earnest  and  helpful  Christian  woman. — Fannie 
Northcott,  Swatow,  South  China. 

One  danger  in  doctrine  that  we  have  had  to  combat  is 
an  occasional  tendency  to  depend  on  the  name  of  Christ, 
or  prayer,  as  a kind  of  “ charm."  Some  of  them  had 
come  to  feel  that  because  they  were  Christians,  disease 
could  not  come  to  them!  An  illustration  of  this  fallacy 
carried  to  its  legitimate  conclusion  helped  in  dispelling  it. 
Two  evangelists  in  one  of  our  fields  had  begun  to  teach 
the  doctrine.  We  had  heard  that  many  had  died  in  the 
neighborhood  from  smallpox.  When  we  reached  the  little 
house  that  had  been  prepared  for  us,  I inquired  of  the 
evangelist  whether  any  in  the  neighborhood  had  the  dis- 
ease. “ Oh,  yes,”  he  answered,  “ but  being  Christians  we 
are  not  afraid.”  “ Have  you  believed  that  and  taught  it  to 
your  people  ? ” I asked.  “ Certainly,”  he  replied,  “ are  we 
not  told  that  Jesus  will  answer  our  prayers?”  “Yes,  in- 
deed,” I answered ; “ but  if  we  sin  against  knowledge  there 
is  no  promise  that  God  will  protect  us.”  We  warned  the 
preachers  of  their  danger  and  went  to  the  Government 
Rest  House  a mile  away,  where  we  stayed  while  in  that 
section.  The  two  evangelists  were  both  simple  and  good 
men,  and  in  spite  of  our  warning  continued  to  help  those 
who  were  ill  with  the  smallpox.  Within  ten  days  they 

[83] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


were  both  down  with  the  disease.  The  lesson  has  been 
a severe  one,  and  the  incident  has  been  of  great  help  in 
the  development  of  a more  rational  faith. — Rev.  A.  C. 
Bowers,  Mongoldai,  Assam. 

The  Time  Element 

The  time  element  in  medical  work  has  a decided 
bearing  on  success  in  medical  evangelism.  The 
evangelistic  missionary  must  often  consider  his 
work  as  seed-sowing.  He  can  only  pray  that  others 
may  come  later  when  the  harvest  is  ready.  On  his 
tours  through  jungle  villages  he  preaches  to  hun- 
dreds of  people  each  night,  but  seldom  faces  the 
same  audience  more  than  once.  His  work  is  done 
in  faith  that  the  seed-sowing  may  bear  fruit  and 
that  the  preachers  and  teachers  in  the  villages  may 
be  given  strength  and  zeal  to  conserve  the  results. 
How  different  is  the  opportunity  of  the  physician! 
In  the  hospitals  patients  are  under  treatment  for 
(lays  and  weeks  and  even  months.  Personal  inter- 
views are  frequent  and  indeed  of  daily  occurrence, 
each  succeeding  interview  affording  opportunity  of 
imparting  further  knowledge  or  presenting  addi- 
tional Christian  truth,  until  the  doctor  experiences 
that  wonderful  satisfaction  of  witnessing  the  com- 
plete surrender  of  a soul  to  the  lordship  of  Christ. 
When  we  reflect  on  this  time  element  and  the  evan- 
gelistic opportunity  which  it  presents,  we  do  not 
marvel  that  so  many  patients  leave  the  mission  hos- 
pitals not  only  cured  in  body  but  restored  in  soul. 
We  are  not  surprised  that  their  experiences  with 

[84] 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS  AND  EVANGELISM 


this  work  of  mercy  should  gradually  yet  surely  lead 
the  patients  to  a definite  allegiance  to  Jesus  Christ, 
nor  do  we  wonder  that  in  their  childlike  faith  these 
patients,  reading  imperfectly  the  stories  of  the  heal- 
ing ministry  of  Jesus,  should  sometimes  identify 
the  missionary  doctor  with  the  Great  Physician  him- 
self. 

In  a little  more  than  seven  months  we  have  received 
more  than  2,500  patients,  and  more  than  4xx»  of  them  have  re- 
mained in  our  wards  as  in-patients.  Our  patients  seldom 
come  alone,  as  a friend  or  two  or  the  whole  family  come 
with  the  sick.  This  makes  our  evangelistic  opportunity 
the  greater,  for  all  who  come  hear  the  gospel  every  day. — 
H.  W.  Newman,  M.  D.,  Ungkung,  South  China. 

Through  conversation,  Bible  classes,  and  in  the  daily 
ward  meetings  we  present  Jesus.  Every  patient,  when  he 
left  the  hospital,  received  a Gospel  and  a helpful  tract  to 
take  with  him.  How  far-reaching  or  effective  that  evan- 
gelistic message  was  I cannot  tell,  but  I found  a sign  of 
its  value  in  a way  that  I least  expected.  One  morning 
while  making  my  rounds  I came  to  a man  who  was  very 
seriously  wounded.  He  looked  up  into  my  face  and  said, 
“ Doctor,  last  night  Jesus  came  to  me  and  said  that  I 
shall  get  well.”  He  was  so  weak  I felt  that  the  end  was 
not  far,  and  that  he  was  delirious,  but  strange  to  say,  he 
did  recover,  and  left  the  hospital  not  long  after. — C.  E. 
Tompkins,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

Among  those  professing  their  belief  in  Jesus  and  their 
intention  to  lead  Christian  lives  was  a strong,  well-built 
man,  of  about  forty  years,  who  was  in  my  care  a long 
time.  His  wife  attended  him.  As  they  saw  the  symptoms 
of  his  disease  subside,  both  declared  their  faith  in  Jesus. 

[85] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Their  subsequent  attendance  at  chapel  and  the  expression 
on  their  faces  led  me  to  believe  they  will  be  true  to  their 
profession. — C.  B.  Lesher,  M.  D.,  Chaoyang,  South  China. 

A few  months  ago  a woman  of  the  goldsmith  caste  was 
brought  in  from  a distance.  When  I asked  her  how  she 
had  come  to  know  about  the  work  here,  she  said  a woman 
from  the  reddy  caste,  who  had  been  in  the  hospital  some 
years  ago,  had  told  her  all  about  the  work  and  also  about 
our  religion.  She  had  a great  thirst  to  find  God,  to  learn 
his  truth,  and  to  experience  his  power.  For  several  weeks 
we  had  to  keep  her  in  the  ward,  and  every  day  she 
eagerly  listened  to  what  the  Bible-woman  told  her.  I was 
much  delighted  to  hear  her  ask  questions  about  salvation 
and  see  how  her  face  was  brightened  daily  more  and  more. 
One  day  I asked,  “ Gappamah,  why  are  you  so  happy?’’ 
She  replied,  with  a smiling  face,  “Amma,  through  the 
teaching  of  the  hospital  workers  I have  been  changed  into 
a new  woman.”  She  put  her  hand  on  her  heart  and  said 
again : “ Here  I felt  always  so  heavy.  Although  I made 
many  sacrifices,  the  burden  did  not  leave  me  and  I had 
no  peace.  Now  I know  that  Jesus  has  forgiven  my  sins. 
I now  have  peace  and  therefore  I am  so  happy.” — Mrs. 
A.  J.  Hubert,  Sooriapett,  South  India. 

To  bring  the  peace  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing into  the  hearts  and  lives  of  those  who  have 
never  heard  of  Christ  is  indeed  the  ultimate  motive 
that  has  called  into  existence  this  great  ministry  of 
healing. 


[86] 


CHAPTER  V 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying.  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the 
dead,  cast  out  devils;  freely  ye  have  received,  freely 
give. — Matthew  lo  : 7,  8. 


CHAPTER  V 


Personnel  and  Equipment 

To  meet  the  distressing  needs  described  in  the 
preceding  chapters  and  to  continue  the  healing  min- 
istry of  the  Great  Physician  in  the  non-Christian 
world,  Northern  Baptists  are  today  supporting  54 
medical  missionaries,  including  men  and  women, 
and  about  40  trained  American  nurses.  These 
missionaries  are  assisted  by  142  native  doctors, 
nurses,  dispensary  workers,  hospital  attendants,  and 
other  helpers.  The  American  staff  on  the  fields  is 
really  smaller  than  the  figures  would  indicate,  for 
the  reason  that  approximately  one-fifth  of  the  num- 
ber are  generally  in  America  on  furlough.  In  view 
of  the  proportion  of  physicians  to  population  in  the 
fields  where  these  missionaries  are  located,  the  im- 
mensity of  the  medical  missionary’s  task  is  beyond 
all  comprehension.  In  some  sections  on  Baptist 
mission  fields  these  medical  missionaries  are  the 
only  physicians  in  districts  whose  population  varies 
anywhere  from  500,000  to  2,000,000. 

Medical  Missionary  Staff 

The  staff  of  medical  missionaries,  with  brief  facts 
regarding  education,  date  of  appointment  as  mis- 

[89] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


sionary  of  each,  including  present  designation  on 
the  field,  is  as  follows  : 

Burma 

Rev.  H.  C.  Gibbens,  M.  D. 

Medico-Chirurgical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1903 ; station,  Mongnai. 

Miss  Martha  J.  Giflford,  M.  D. 

Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  111. 

Appointed  1917 ; station,  Moulmein. 

Rev.  Robert  Harper,  M.  D. 

Detroit  College  of  Medicine. 

Appointed  1897 ; station,  Namkham. 

A.  H.  Henderson,  M.  D. 

City  of  New  York  Medical  College. 

Appointed  1893 ; station,  Taunggyi. 

Assam 

J.  A.  Ahlquist,  M.  D, 

Creighton  Medical  College,  Omaha,  Neb. 
Appointed  1916 ; station,  Tura. 

Rev.  J.  R.  Bailey,  M.  D. 

Medico-Chirurgical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1910;  station,  Impur. 

Rev.  G.  G.  Crozier,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1899;  station,  Manipur. 

[90] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Rev.  H.  W.  Kirby.  M.  D. 

Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1901 ; station,  Jorhat. 

S.  W.  Rivenburg,  M.  D. 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Appointed  1883;  station,  Kohima. 

South  India 

Miss  Lena  A.  Benjamin,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1902;  station,  Nellore. 

Miss  Anna  Degenring,  M.  D. 

Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1906;  station,  Nellore. 

Miss  Marian  E.  Farbar,  M.  D. 

Spokane  Hospital ; Chicago  Baptist  Hospital. 
Appointed  1911 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Miss  Maud  Kinnaman,  M.  D. 

Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1917 ; station,  Woman’s  Medical 
College,  Vellore. 

Mrs.  F.  H.  Levering,  M.  D. 

Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1890;  station,  Secunderabad. 

C.  R.  Manley,  M.  D. 

University  Medical  College,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Appointed  1916;  station,  Ongole. 

[91] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Mrs.  F.  W.  Stait,  M.  D.  (M.  Grant  Fraser). 
Queen’s  University,  Kingston,  Canada. 
Appointed  1897 ; station,  Udayagiri. 

Rev.  J.  W.  Stenger,  M.  D. 

University  of  California;  Cleveland  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  College. 

Appointed  1910;  station,  Ongole. 

Miss  F.  R.  Weaver,  M.  D. 

Worcester  Memorial  Hospital ; Presbyterian 
Hospital,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Appointed  1914 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Rev.  J.  S.  Timpany,  M.  D. 

Bellevue  Medical  College,  New  York;  Bowdoin 
Medical  College,  Brunswick,  Me. 

Appointed  1892;  station,  Hanumakonda. 

Bengal-Orissa 

Miss  Mary  Bacheler,  M.  D. 

Graduate  Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Appointed  1876;  station,  Balasore. 

Rev.  H.  R.  Murphy,  M.  D. 

College  of  Medicine,  Nebraska. 

Appointed  1900;  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

South  China 

Miss  Edythe  A.  Bacon,  M.  D. 

Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  Hospital. 

Appointed  1910;  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

[92] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Mrs.  B.  L.  Baker,  M.  D.  (Alice  W.  Smith). 
Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1908;  station,  Chaochowfu. 

Rev.  C.  E.  Bousfield. 

Medical  Course  Harvard  University. 

Appointed  1899;  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Mrs.  N.  H.  Carman,  M.  D.  (Mildred  Scott). 
University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1913;  station,  Swatow. 

Miss  M.  E.  Everham,  M.  D. 

Massachusetts  Homeopathic  Hospital,  Boston. 
Appointed  1917 ; station,  Swatow. 

Miss  Clara  C.  Leach,  M.  D. 

Temple  University,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1916;  station,  Kityang. 

C.  B.  Lesher,  M.  D. 

University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Appointed  1910;  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Mrs.  C.  B.  Lesher,  M.  D.  (Mabel  Grier). 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Appointed  1910;  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

H.  W.  Newman,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1913;  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

[93] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


East  China 

C.  Heman  Barlow,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan;  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity. 

Appointed  1907 ; station,  Shaohsing. 

F.  W.  Goddard,  M.  D. 

Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1902 ; station,  Shaohsing. 

J.  S.  Grant,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1889;  station,  Ningpo. 

Miss  Josephine  C.  Lawney,  M.  D. 

Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1917. 

C.  D.  Leach,  M.  D. 

Boston  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 
Appointed  1912;  station,  Huchow. 

Rev.  G.  A.  Huntley,  M.  D. 

University  of  New  York;  University  of  Ver- 
mont. 

Appointed  1897 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

C.  F.  MacKenzie,  M.  D. 

Vanderbilt  University  Medical  School,  Nash- 
ville, Tenn. 

Appointed  1906 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 
[94] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Harold  Thomas,  M.  D. 

Harvard  University. 

Appointed  1916. 

fVest  China 

Mrs.  F.  J.  Bradshaw,  M.  D.  (Martha  A.  Phillip). 
Dalhousie  Medical  School. 

Appointed  1903 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Miss  Emilie  Bretthauer,  M.  D. 

Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1905;  station,  Suifu. 

J.  C.  Humphreys,  M.  D. 

Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1910;  station,  Yachowfu. 

W.  R.  Morse,  M.  D. 

Acadia  College,  Wolfeville,  N.  S. 

Appointed  1909;  station,  Chengdu. 

Mrs.  H.  h'.  Rudd,  M.  D.  (Anna  E.  Corlies). 
Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
Appointed  1906;  station,  Cheng^. 

Miss  Carrie  E.  Slaght,  M.  D. 

Rush  Medical  College. 

Appointed  1917 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

C.  E.  Tompkins,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1902 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

[95] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Belgian  Congo. 

J.  C.  King,  M.  D. 

University  of  Michigan. 

Appointed  1913 ; station,  Banza  Manteke. 

Rev.  W.  H.  Leslie,  M.  D. 

Lake  Forest  University. 

Appointed  1893;  station,  Vanga. 

Franklin  P.  Lynch,  M.  D. 

City  of  New  York  Medical  College. 

Appointed  1893 ; at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Miss  Catherine  L.  Mabie,  M.  D. 

Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Appointed  1898;  station,  Kimpese. 

Rev.  H.  Ostrom,  M.  D. 

Creighton  Medical  College,  Omaha,  Neb. 
Appointed  1911 ; station,  Ntondo. 

A.  Sims,  M.  D.,  D.  P.  H. 

Medical  Courses  in  England. 

Appointed  1882;  station,  Matadi. 

Philippine  Islands 

F.  W.  Meyer,  M.  D. 

Yale  University. 

Appointed  1919;  station,  Capiz. 

Rev.  R.  C.  Thomas,  M.  D. 

Harvard  University. 

Appointed  1904;  station,  Iloilo. 

[96] 


Dr.  R.  C.  Thomas  Performing  an  Operation  in  his  Hospital 
at  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands 


A Dispensary  Clinic  in  Nalgonda,  South  India 


1 


!s 

1 


( 


^ - 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Nurses 

The  list  of  nurses,  including  graduates  of  recog- 
nized American  training-schools,  is  as  follows : 

Mrs.  K.  O.  Anderson,  Africa. 

Miss  Gwaldys  R.  Aston,  Kityang,  South  China. 
Miss  Ethel  A.  Boggs,  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 
I Mrs.  George  H.  Brock,  at  home  on  furlough, 
1920. 

Mrs.  Joseph  Clark,  Ntondo,  Africa. 

Miss  L.  Jennie  Crawford,  Suifu,  West  China. 
Mrs.  P.  Frederickson,  Sona  Bata,  Africa. 

Miss  M.  Jean  Gates,  Shaohsing,  East  China. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Giffin,  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 

Miss  Clarissa  A.  Hewey,  Kinhwa,  East  China. 
Miss  Esther  Hokanson,  Huchow,  East  China. 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Hubert,  Sooriapett,  South  India. 

Mrs.  G.  A.  Huntley,  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 
Miss  Emma  S.  Irving,  Ningpo,  East  China. 

Miss  Sigrid  C.  Johnson,  Ongole,  South  India. 
Mrs.  R.  B.  Longwell,  Impur,  Assam. 

Miss  Annie  S.  Magilton,  at  home  on  furlough, 
1920. 

Miss  Selma  Maxville,  Moulmein,  Burma. 

Miss  Aganetha  Neufeld,  Nalgonda,  South  India. 
Miss  Rose  E.  Nicolet,  Iloilo,  Philippine  Islands. 
Miss  Fannie  Northcott,  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 
Mrs.  Harry  J.  Openshaw,  Yachowfu,  West  China. 
Mrs.  H.  Ostrom,  Ntondo,  Africa. 

Miss  Alma  Pittman,  China. 

[97] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Miss  Jenny  Reilly,  Nellore,  South  India. 

Mrs.  Charles  Rutherford,  Hanumakonda,  South 
India. 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Seagrave,  Rangoon,  Burma. 

Miss  Harriet  Smith,  Ningpo,  East  China. 

Mrs.  L.  C.  Smith,  Nellore,  South  India. 

Mrs.  L.  W.  Spring,  Sandoway,  Burma. 

Miss  Edna  M.  Stever,  Assam. 

Miss  M.  M.  Sutherland,  at  home  on  furlough,  1920. 
Miss  Cora  Sydney,  Philippine  Islands. 

Miss  Frances  Therolf,  China. 

Mrs.  Harold  Thomas,  China. 

Mrs.  C.  Unruh,  Nalgonda,  South  India. 

Mrs.  W.  O.  Valentine,  Bacolod,  Philippine  Islands. 
Miss  Lillian  V.  Wagner,  Ramapatnam,  South 
India. 

Miss  Frida  Wall,  China. 

Miss  Sarah  Whelpton,  Bacolod,  Philippine 
Islands. 

Miss  Dorcas  Whitaker,  Cumbum,  South  India. 
Miss  Luciele  Withers,  Sunwuhsien,  South  China. 

Hospitals  and  Dispensaries 

Mission  hospitals  and  dispensaries  are  located  on 
the  various  fields  as  follows ; 

Burma 

Haka — Emily  Tyzzer  Memorial  Hospital. 
Kengtung — Louise  Hastings  Memorial  Hospital. 
Mongnai — Mission  Hospital. 

[98] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Moulmein — Ellen  Mitchell  Memorial  Maternity 
Hospital, 

Namkham — Mission  Dispensary. 

Taunggyi — Mission  Dispensary. 

Assam 

Impur — Mission  Hospital. 

Sadiya — Mission  Hospital. 

Tura — Mission  Hospital. 

South  India 

Hanumakonda — Victoria  Memorial  Hospital. 
Mahbubnagar — Mission  Hospital. 

Nalgonda — Mission  Hospital. 

Nellore — Mission  Hospital. 

Ongole — Clough  Memorial  Hospital. 
Secunderabad — Mission  Dispensary. 

Udayagiri — Etta  Waterbury  Hospital. 

Vellore — Union  Hospital  for  Women. 

Bengal-Orissa 

Bhimpore — Sterling  Memorial  Hospital. 
Midnapore — Mission  Dispensary. 

South  China 

Chaoyang — Mission  Dispensary, 

Kityang — Josephine  Bixby  Hospital. 

Swatow — Edward  Payson  Scott  and  Martha 
Thresher  Memorial  Hospital. 

Ungkung — True  Word  Hospital. 

[99] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


East  China 

Huchow — Will  Mayfield,  Jr.,  Memorial  Hospital. 
Kinhwa — Pickford  Memorial  Hospital. 

Ningpo — Mission  Hospital. 

Shanghai — Students’  Dispensary  and  MacLeish 
Infirmary. 

Shaohsing — The  Christian  Hospital. 

W est  China 

Chengtu — Union  Medical  School  Hospital. 
Kiatingfu — Mission  Dispensary. 

Suifu — Mission  Hospital. 

Yachowfu — Mission  Hospital. 

Congo 

Banza  Manteke — Small  Mission  Hospital. 
Ntondo-Ikoko — Small  Mission  Hospital. 

Kimpese — Small  Mission  Hospital. 

Mukimvika — Small  Mission  Hospital. 

Matadi — Small  Mission  Hospital. 

Vanga — Small  Mission  Hospital. 

Philippine  Islands 

Capiz — Mission  Hospital. 

Iloilo — Union  Hospital. 

Medical  Statistics 

The  extent  of  the  work  which  these  missionaries 
are  able  to  do  is  well  indicated  in  the  following  table 
of  statistics: 


[100] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


Hospitals 

Dispensaries 

Physicians 

Native  Assistants 

In-Patients 

Out-Patients 

Treatments 

Expenses 

Fees 

Burma 

1915 

4 

12 

8 

8 

151 

18,146 

33,903 

$3,286 

$2,354 

1916 

4 

12 

7 

9 

279 

16,854 

28,773 

3,590 

2,520 

1917 

I 

II 

5 

8 

533 

7,178 

20,941 

3,728 

2,659 

1918 

3 

II 

6 

9 

1,327 

8,156 

17,518 

3,677 

2,763 

1919 

3 

12 

6 

10 

1,847 

8,363 

20,327 

7,945 

3,744 

Assam 

1915 

2 

9 

4 

II 

87 

14,724 

15,470 

1,741 

771 

1916 

2 

8 

4 

15 

115 

11,426 

13,594 

1,699 

497 

1917 

2 

4 

4 

10 

26 

9,690 

19,933 

2,148 

2,636 

1918 

2 

3 

5 

II 

26 

9,386 

16,737 

2,153 

2,217 

1919 

2 

5 

5 

7 

20 

8,875 

15,301 

2,332 

2,220 

South 

India 

1915 

6 

12 

9 

39 

1,561 

34,719 

74,368 

9,016 

2,147 

1916 

6 

8 

9 

42 

1,541 

6,526 

57,801 

7,362 

2,921 

1917 

5 

9 

9 

39 

1,598 

15,066 

58,434 

7,345 

2,866 

1918 

6 

10 

II 

43 

2,187 

25,582 

85,796 

11,819 

3,169 

1919 

6 

II 

10 

46 

2,055 

24,831 

78,643 

13,026 

3,201 

Bengal- 

Orissa 

1915 

I 

2 

3 

4 

33 

10,431 

11,373 

276 

240 

1916 

I 

2 

3 

3 

18 

7,460 

10,091 

345 

346 

1917 

I 

2 

3 

3 

24 

6,470 

7,8fe 

386 

297 

1918 

I 

2 

3 

3 

1,654 

6,047 

424 

245 

1919 

I 

2 

2 

3 

3,966 

170 

227 

China 

191S 

8 

II 

22 

55 

2,980 

35,113 

111,790 

16,117 

10,471 

1916 

9 

10 

23 

52 

2,762 

33,359 

94,924 

17,614 

11,491 

1917 

10 

12 

22 

55 

4,451 

34,856 

125,157 

6,691 

19,476 

1918 

10 

10 

24 

61 

5,656 

38,333 

141,418 

25,213 

17,603 

1919 

10 

14 

25 

62 

4,6^ 

[K 

26,772 

)1] 

132,032 

51,029 

38,392 

THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


1 Hospitals  1 

4> 

0> 

c 

V 

D. 

Physicians 

.Native  Assistants 

In-Patients 

Out-Patients 

Treatments 

Expenses 

Fees 

Congo 

191S 

4 

10 

6 

10 

283 

6,098 

50,354 

$2,572 

$1,668 

1916 

4 

9 

7 

13 

716 

9.397 

53,440 

1,9.32 

I o8^! 

1917 

2 

9 

7 

II 

616 

2,1^ 

56.526 

2,124 

I. Ill 

1918 

3 

10 

6 

18 

632 

8,625 

64,075 

3.097 

2.057 

1919 

3 

8 

6 

14 

905 

3.750 

53.683 

3.040 

2,266 

Philippine 

Islands 

1915 

I 

4 

2 

II 

300 

2,000 

13.715 

4576 

3,370 

1916 

1 

3 

2 

9 

450 

3,530 

16,800 

4,169 

4,641 

1917 

I 

I 

7 

697 



47 

.39 

1918 

I 

I 

7 

6,116 

1919 

I 

S 

2 

928 

16,444 

15.752 

12,103 

Totals 

1915 

26 

60 

54 

t’8 

5.395 

121,231 

310,973 

.37,584 

21,021 

1916 

27 

5" 

143 

5.«8i 

88.552 

276,423 

36,711 

23,504 

1917 

21 

4« 

51 

133 

7.945 

75,446 

288,871 

22,469 

29,084 

1918 

26 

46 

56 

152 

9,828 

90,082 

33I.59I 

46,383 

28,054 

1919 

26 

57 

54 

142 

10,453 

80,361 

320,396 

93,294 

62,153 

The  following  extracts  from  recent  reports  also 
indicate  the  extent  of  the  service  rendered  by  these 
followers  of  the  Great  Physician : 

The  medical  work  at  Sona  Bata  has  been  carried  on 
without  a doctor  this  year.  Many  bad  cases  had  to  be 
taken  in.  Twice  I got  quite  exhausted,  having  worked  and 
watched  steadily  for  days  and  nights,  but  each  day  new 
strength  and  grace  were  given  me.  There  are  many  oppor- 

[102] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


tunities  for  studying  cases  among  so  many  patients.  Dur- 
ing the  year,  9,798  treatments  were  given,  made  up  largely 
of  sleeping-sickness  cases. — Mrs.  P.  Frederickson,  Sona 
Bata,  Congo. 

The  treatments  given  this  year  total  16,226,  and  are 
nearly  5,000  more  than  last  year,  and  the  in-patients  about 
60  more. — Charles  F.  MacKenzie,  M.  D.,  Kinhwa,  China. 

The  outdoor  clinics  at  the  Namkham  town  dispensary 
have  been  well  attended,  and  a large  number  of  patients 
come  from  Namkham  and  the  surrounding  villages  for 
medicine  to  the  dispensary  on  the  compound.  Last  year 
we  cared  for  8,476  outdoor  patients  and  performed  71 
operations.  The  outdoor  patients  were  about  equally 
divided  between  the  two  dispensaries.  This  is  not  the 
only  benefit  our  dispensaries  are  to  the  people,  for  we 
supply  the  teachers  in  the  village  schools  with  simple 
remedies  for  the  people  in  their  neighborhood.  Last  year 
I had  special  containers  made  for  ointments  and  placed 
them  in  each  of  our  Shan  village  schools.  I also  placed 
remedies  for  eye  diseases  in  the  schools  and  gave  instruc- 
tions to  the  teachers  as  to  how  to  use  each  remedy.  Last 
year  I made  over  900  visits  to  patients  in  their  homes  and 
received  Rs.  1,088  for  medical  service  and  medicine.  The 
above  sum  is  more  than  double  the  amount  received  the 
year  previous,  and  we  had  over  S,ooo  outdoor  patients 
more  than  the  previous  year. — Robert  Harper,  M.  D., 
Namkham,  Burma. 

We  gave  over  S,ooo  treatments  and  treated  2,619  dif- 
ferent patients.  Of  the  600  cases  of  influenza  that  came 
to  Doctor  Manley  and  to  me,  we  lost  only  five,  and  none 
that  we  treated  from  the  outset.  During  the  year  we  have 
employed  one  preacher  to  tell  the  waiting  people  of  Christ ; 
also  two  medical  assistants. — Miss  Sigrid  C.  Johnson,  On- 
go  le,  South  India. 


[103] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Our  two  dispensaries,  one  here  in  Tura  in  the  hospital 
and  one  over  on  the  other  side  of  the  Tura  range  in  Bag- 
mura,  treated  3,655  new  patients  during  the  year.  This 
is  the  number  in  the  report  to  the  government  dispensary 
cases.  Over  and  above  this  I have  treated  about  500  when 
away  from  the  dispensary  in  calls,  receiving  patients  at 
the  bungalow  and  on  tours  in  the  district,  so  that  in 
reality  over  4,000  have  received  treatment. — J.  A.  Ahlquist, 
M.  D.,  Tura,  Assatn. 

We  have  been  keeping  record  of  10,043  treatments,  but 
it  is  impossible  to  record  the  actual  number  of  out- 
patients. The  total  receipts  for  medicines  sold  was  3,327 
francs,  and  the  total  expense  (salaries  of  helpers  and  medi- 
cines) was  4,327  francs. — Rev.  P.  Frederickson,  Sana  Bata, 
Congo. 

Ehjring  the  year  the  usual  medical  examination  has  been 
given  to  every  student  in  the  school.  Total  number  of 
calls  was  1,854,  and  included  the  following; 


From  academy  937 

From  college  595 

From  seminary  65 

From  women’s  school  163 

From  Chinese  staff  64 

From  servants  30 


1.854 

These  calls  included  the  following  special  cases: 


Obstetrical  4 

Dormitory  calls 224 

Vaccination  loo 

Refracture  19 

Operations  46 

Tooth  extractions  28 


[104] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


MacLeish  Infirmary  and  Dispensary: 


Men 

Women  and 
Children 

Total 

New  patients  .... 

551 

264 

81s 

Return  visits  .... 

206 

497 

1,312 

\ A.  Huntley,  M.  D.,  Shanghai,  China. 

We  have  19,194  treatments  registered  and  there  were  a 
large  number  treated  who  were  never  registered,  because 
of  the  rush.  We  had  333  in-patients  who  stayed  more 
than  one  day,  others  stayed  five  or  six  days,  and  some 
stayed  for  months. — A.  J.  Hubert,  Sooriapett,  South  India. 


1917  1918  Gain 

Hospital  In-patient  Department 455  660  45% 

Hospital  Out-patient  Department, . . 5,618  7,170  28% 

Private  office  patients 268  506  89% 


— C.  H.  Barlow,  M.  D.,  Shaohsing,  China. 

The  hospital,  with  its  three  dispensaries,  has  done  the 
largest  work  in  its  history.  The  station  dispensary  gave 
14,749  treatments;  Jangaon,  4,914;  and  Cumbum,  2,082, 
making  a total  of  21,045  treatments.  Owing  to  the  preva- 
lence of  plague  about  us,  we  inoculated  4,548  people  against 
this  terrible  disease.  We  have  had  318  in-patients  dur- 
ing the  year.  This  is  a large  increase  over  the  numbers 
of  any  previous  year. — J.  S.  Timpany,  M.  D.,  Hanuma- 
konda.  South  India. 

During  the  year  we  treated  5,728  patients  and  received 
from  sales  of  medicines  and  from  professional  services 
about  1,400  rupees. — H.  C.Gibbens,M.D.,Mongnai,  Burma. 

[105] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Financial  Report 

RECEIPTS 

Rent  of  private  room  $1,010,60 

Registration  fees 397-37 

Fees  from  specials  294.00 

Fees  for  general  anesthetic 232.20 

Donations  1,116.38 

Cash  for  out-calls  478.00 

Cash  for  medicines  1,760.33 

Rent  from  in-patients  and  others  for  food 3,480.49 

Interest  from  endowed  beds 127.00 

Miscellaneous  135.92 

Appropriation  from  A.  B.  F.  M.  S 6co.oo 

Deficit  120.28 


$9,843-57 

EXPENDITURES 

Foods  $3,130.76 

Salaries  3,038.46 

Furniture  200.54 

Repairs  49603 

Charity  beds  177-55 

Miscellaneous  1,008^26 

Loan  33.00 

Rent  63.00 

Medicines  1,695  97 


$9,843-57 

— /.  S.  Grant,  M.  D.,  Ningpo,  China. 

The  part  played  by  the  laboratory  during  the  past  years 
is  important.  It  is  the  feature  of  medical  work  which 
has  done  more  to  establish  the  reputation  for  careful  and 
accurate  diagnosis  than  any  other  factor.  The  Chinese 

[106] 


PERSONNEL  AND  EQUIPMENT 


appreciate  the  fact  that  tests  which  make  diagnosis  certain 
replace  the  guesswork  so  largely  common  in  native  prac- 
tice. It  takes  time  and  costs  money,  but  establishes  con- 
fidence of  our  clientele  and  gives  a sense  of  certainty  to 
treatment  which  adds  to  our  own  peace  of  mind.  We 
encourage  our  patients  and  friends  to  come  into  the  labora- 
tory to  see  diagnosis  made.  Sometimes  with  one  look  into 
the  microscope  we  are  able  to  state  with  certainty  what 
disease  the  patient  has,  and  with  equal  positiveness  what 
is  necessary  in  treatment.  To  some  this  is  little  short  of 
miraculous,  to  all  it  is  an  evidence  of  a power  which  their 
native  physicians  do  not  possess. — C.  H.  Barlow,  M.  D., 
Shaohsing,  East  China. 


[107] 


CHAPTER  VI 


NEEDS  AND  OPPORTUNITIES 


And  whithersoever  he  entered,  into  villages,  or  cities, 
or  country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets,  and 
besought  him  that  they  might  touch  if  it  were  but  the 
border  of  his  garment;  and  as  many  as  touched  him 
were  made  whole. — Mark  6 : 56. 

They  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of  a physician, 
but  they  that  are  sick. — Matthew  9 : 12. 

And  heal  the  sick  that  are  therein,  and  say  unto  them. 
The  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you. — Luke 
10  : g. 


CHAPTER  VI 


Needs  and  Opportunities 

In  general,  the  needs  of  the  present  and  future 
include  reenforcements  and  additional  equipment. 
New  doctors,  men  and  women,  as  well  as  trained 
nurses,  are  required  on  all  fields  except  in  Japan, 
where  the  government  makes  adequate  provision 
for  hospitals  and  medical  attention.  No  medical 
missionary  work  is  done  by  Baptists  in  Japan.  In 
connection  with  the  sending  of  American  doctors 
and  nurses,  more  extensive  training  must  be  fur- 
nished for  native  doctors  and  nurses.  This  is  of 
fundamental  importance  if  anything  approaching 
an  adequate  provision  is  to  be  made  for  the  medi- 
cal needs  of  the  millions  of  people  on  Baptist  for- 
eign mission  fields. 

Equipment  needs  include  the  furnishing  of  new 
medical  and  surgery  outfits,  repairs,  the  building  of 
additions  and  enlargements,  and  the  erection  of  new 
hospitals  and  dispensaries. 

A Program  of  Expansion 

The  program  for  expansion  in  the  medical  work 
of  the  two  Foreign  Mission  Societies,  as  outlined  in 
the  Survey  Report  presented  by  the  Committee  on 

[111] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


Survey  at  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention  in  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  in  May,  1919,  summarized  briefly, 
includes  the  following: 

BURMA 

To  send  out  4 new  doctors  at  once. 

To  furnish  additional  equipment  for  5 hospitals  now 
working  beyond  capacity. 

To  provide  a hospital  and  staff  for  the  new  field  in 
Kengtung. 

To  develop  a training-school  for  nurses  in  connection 
with  the  hospital  for  women  at  Moulmein,  so  that  we 
may  eventually  provide  one  nurse  for  each  village  in 
Burma. 

SOUTH  INDIA 

To  send  out  generous  reenforcements  to  the  women 
doctors  and  nurses. 

To  enlarge  the  hospitals  for  women  at  Palmur  and 
Hanumakonda. 

To  erect  2 new  hospitals  for  women  and  send  out  ade- 
quate staffs. 

To  cooperate  in  the  Union  Medical  College  for  Women 
at  Vellore. 

ASSAM 

A fully  housed  and  equipped  general  hospital  in  each 
of  the  northern  and  southern  divisions. 

At  least  one  hospital  for  women  with  a staff  of  women 
doctors  and  nurses. 

BENGAL-ORISSA 

Several  new  hospitals  are  required,  since  medical  work 
in  the  Bengal-Orissa  field  at  the  present  time  is  very 
slight. 


[112] 


NEEDS  AND  OPPORTUNITIES 


CHINA 

To  send  8 or  lo  physicians  and  at  least  8 trained  nurses 
as  quickly  as  possible. 

To  establish  at  least  one  large,  well-equipped  hospital  at 
a central  point  in  South  China,  and  to  locate  needed 
dispensaries. 

To  cooperate  with  the  China  Medical  Board  and  provide 
adequate  staff  and  equipment  for  the  hospitals  in  East 
China. 

To  secure  the  sites  and  erect  3 adequate  hospitals  at 
central  points  in  West  China,  and  to  cooperate  more 
largely  with  the  medical  department  of  the  West  China 
Union  University. 

To  cooperate  with  the  China  Medical  Missionary  Asso- 
ciation in  a wide  campaign  to  educate  the  Chinese  peo- 
ple as  to  the  danger  and  prevention  of  tuberculosis, 
which  is  developing  to  an  alarming  extent  in  China. 

To  contribute  generously  to  building  up  the  Union  Medi- 
cal College  for  Women  at  Shanghai.  There  must  be 
a large  increase  in  the  number  of  women  doctors  and 
nurses.  There  are  more  than  200,000,000  women  and 
children  who  need  their  ministry. 

BELGIAN  CONGO 

To  erect  modest  but  well-planned,  well-equipped  hos- 
pitals in  most  of  the  central  stations. 

To  send  out  nurses  to  be  associated  with  the  physician 
in  each  hospital. 

To  provide  for  the  training  of  native  nurses  to  staff 
hospitals,  and  also  to  care  for  minor  cases  and  to 
teach  the  use  of  simple  remedies  in  the  villages. 

To  promote  a knowledge  and  practise  of  measures  of 
hygiene  and  sanitation  in  the  villages. 

To  cooperate  with  government  medical  service  in  sys- 
tematic study  of  tropical  diseases  and  methods  of  their 
prevention  and  cure. 


[113] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

In  the  expectation  that  the  government  would  make  pro- 
vision for  hospitals,  our  mission  has  moved  rather 
slowly  in  medical  work,  which  is  limited  to  two  sta- 
tions. The  staff  of  physicians  and  nurses  should  be 
reenforced  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  Need  of  Reenforcements 

The  need  of  reenforcements  is  well  illustrated  in 
the  following  extracts  from  letters  and  reports  of 
Baptist  medical  missionaries : 

For  nearly  two  years  there  has  been  no  missionary  doc- 
tor imder  our  General  Board  in  South  China,  the  only 
doctors  being  two  single  women,  one  of  whom  was  a new- 
comer, and  the  other  preceded  her  a year  before.  This 
is  tragic  when  we  consider  the  size  and  population  of  the 
field  known  as  the  South  China  Mission.  The  people 
speaking  the  Swatow  dialect  number  about  7,000,000. 
What  is  to  be  done?  Several  years  ago  the  South  China 
Conference  decided  to  open  a great  central  hospital,  to 
be  a sort  of  clearing-house  for  smaller  ones  in  other 
cities.  This  will  require  doctors  and  nurses  and  money! 
If  I should  be  asked  to  tell  the  greatest  need  in  South 
China,  I would  say,  doctors  who  are  also  evangelists,  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  more  money  to  en- 
able them  to  do  their  work  efficiently. — Mrs.  C.  E.  Bous- 
field,  Changning,  South  China. 

We  hope  that  many  doctors  and  nurses  who  have  served 
in  the  fight  for  righteousness,  will  realize  that  an  even 
greater  and  more  uneven  fight  against  the  powers  of  evil 
and  darkness  is  being  waged  here  in  India,  and  will  volun- 
teer before  too  great  a price  has  been  paid. — Florence  R. 
Weaver,  M.  D.,  Nellore,  South  India. 

[114] 


Nothing  but  a Mission  Hospital  for 
Children  Can  Help  Cases  Like  These 


Patients  Awaiting  the  Arrival  of  the  Medical 
Missionary 


NEEDS  AND  OPPORTUNITIES 


One  of  the  hardest  tasks  I’ve  had  to  do  was  to  go  out 
and  lock  the  hospital  street-door.  I trust  the  mission 
will  be  able  to  make  such  plans  as  will  allow  the  door  to 
be  opened  again  in  the  very  near  future. — C.  E.  Tompkins, 
M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

Owing  to  inadequate  nursing  stafiF,  we  were  obliged  to 
close  the  woman's  department  for  two  months  during  the 
summer.  'With  Miss  Pittman  on  furlough,  the  Chinese 
staff  inexperienced  and  depleted,  and  no  matron  who  could 
be  entrusted  with  the  responsibility  of  the  work,  it  seemed 
wise  to  close.  During  October,  the  heaviest  month  that 
the  hospital  has  ever  had,  the  entire  staff  consisted  of 
only  one  foreign  doctor.  One  doctor  had  not  returned 
from  furlough,  the  Chinese  physician  was  taking  a long- 
delayed  vacation,  one  foreign  nurse  was  on  furlough,  and 
the  other  was  still  in  language  study  and  not  available 
for  hospital  duty. — C.  H.  Barlow,  M.  D.,  Shaohsing,  East 
China. 

Can  any  one  give  a rational  solution  to  this  problem? 
The  people  beg  you  to  come  and  see  a husband,  wife,  or 
daughter  who  has  just  taken  a large  dose  of  opium  with 
suicidal  intent.  It  may  be  in  your  power  to  save  a life 
by  a few  hours’  work;  a burned  hand,  an  acute  eye  in- 
flammation which  will  terminate  in  blindness,  these  and 
many  other  cases  come  to  you  and  ask  for  aid.  Are 
these  poor  wretches  interfering  with  your  future  useful- 
ness by  their  interruptions  of  your  study,  or  are  they  some 
of  the  Master’s  “ little  ones  ” of  whom  he  said,  “ Inas- 
much as  ye  do  it  unto  them,  ye  do  it  unto  me  ” ? Who 
can  help  me  solve  this  serious  problem?  I cannot  help 
thinking  the  rational  solution  of  it  lies  in  the  hearts  of 
some  of  our  young  people  at  home  who  should  be  here — ■ 
and  in  the  material  possessions  of  others  which  should  be 
at  the  disposal  of  the  agencies  which  send  out  these  new 
recruits. — E.  T.  Shields,  M.  D.,  Suifu,  West  China. 

[115] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


If  I were  three  or  four  men  instead  of  one,  I could 
keep  busy  and  do  a higher  grade  of  scientific  work  and 
also  more  personal  evangelistic  work.  One  man  could 
have  a day’s  work  in  surgery  almost  every  day  in  the 
week,  another  could  find  ample  material  as  an  internist, 
another  as  an  eye  specialist,  and  so  on ; but  your  missionary 
is  only  one,  and  he  has  to  turn  his  hand  quickly  from  a 
cataract  extraction  to  a hip-joint  case  or  tropical  malaria. 
But  after  all,  it  is  not  just  the  cures  we  accomplish,  nor 
the  words  we  say,  it  is  the  life  we  give  to  these  people 
that  convinces  them  of  the  truth  of  our  gospel  and  its 
saving  grace. — H.  IV.  Newman,  M.  D.,  Ungkung,  South 
China. 

Equipment  Needs 

The  need  of  repairs,  additional  equipment,  and 
new  buildings  can  well  be  imagined  from  the  fol- 
lowing reports  of  medical  missionaries : 

In  Congo  the  sick  are  with  us  always.  Much  of  the 
medical  work  must  be  done  on  Sundays  as  well  as  week- 
days, cannot  be  put  off  till  Monday.  Disease  knows  no 
holidays  or  vacation,  so  we  are  kept  busy  the  year  round. 
Every  morning  at  six  o’clock  we  give  medicine  and  treat- 
ments to  the  “ in-patients  ” in  our  mud  wards.  These  two 
houses  with  three  rooms  each  have  been  a great  blessing 
to  the  sick,  but  now  one  has  fallen  down  because  of  the 
strong  rain-storms  and  also  one  wall  of  the  women’s 
ward. — Mrs.  P.  Frederickson,  Sona  Bata,  Congo. 

The  Pasadena  Dispensary,  a handsome  building,  has  been 
finished.  It  looks  not  only  handsome  but  durable;  every 
stone  and  tile  and  timber  in  it  is  flawless.  It  is  a splendid 
gift  from  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  the  United  States 
of  America.  The  foundations  and  basement  for  the  Col- 
gate Ward  have  been  finished.  The  wide  verandas  as 

[116] 


NEEDS  AND  OPPORTUNITIES 


well  as  the  whole  ward  will  be  screened  with  wire  mos- 
quito-netting. Its  location  is  on  the  best  place  on  the 
compound  and  as  the  Government  Engineer  said,  “If  I 
were  sick  I should  like  to  be  in  this  place.”  Such  an 
institution  as  the  Clough  Memorial  Hospital  is  going  to 
be  a great  blessing  to  these  poor,  needy  people  bound  down 
by  ignorance  and  superstition. — C.  R.  Manley,  M.  D.,  On- 
gole,  South  India. 

Our  hospital  was  built  in  1903.  Since  then  nothing  has 
been  added  to  the  furniture  and  little  outside;  some  in- 
struments have  been  added  to  the  equipment.  Last  year 
I was  able  to  put  in  a new  ceiling  in  the  large  ward  and 
dispensary  and  to  place  in  one  of  the  wards  six  beds 
with  leather  mattresses.  Our  hospital  assistant  is  occupy- 
ing the  operating-room,  and  must  continue  to  do  so  until 
I can  collect  material  and  build  him  a house.  We  perform 
operations  at  present  on  the  hospital  veranda. — Rev. 
Robert  Harper,  M.  D.,  Namkham,  Burma. 

Our  hospital  consists  of  one  room  with  straw  mats  for 
a partition  to  separate  the  men  from  the  women,  five 
board  beds  on  each  side  of  the  mats,  and  a little  stove. 
Each  bed  has  a straw  mat  to  act  as  both  springs  and  mat- 
tress, the  native  furnishing  his  own  blanket.  This  may 
be  somewhat  interesting,  but  the  real  interest  comes  about 
nine  or  ten  o’clock  at  night,  when  on  entering  the  hospital 
one  finds  the  beds  occupied  with  patients,  more  of  the 
same  on  the  floor,  friends  and  relatives,  who  must  cook 
and  care  for  the  sick,  side  by  side  in  blankets,  so  close 
that  the  floor  can  scarcely  be  seen,  food  for  all  in  corners 
or  on  shelves  or  all  along  the  sides  of  the  room,  a baby 
crying  here  or  there  because  jt  is  in  pain  or  its  mother 
too  sick  to  nurse  it,  some  patients  coughing,  some  groan- 
ing with  pain  or  in  fevers  of  from  loi®  to  107°,  pneu- 
monias and  dysenteries  stirred  up  with  malaria — such  a 

[117] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


picture  represents  a scene  where  sleeping-sickness  would 
be  almost  welcome,  but  a place  from  which  such  poor 
sufferers  are  banished.  We  can  give  our  time,  we  can 
prescribe  drugs,  but  it  takes  dollars  to  make  room  for 
the  suffering  sick,  to  give  them  fresh  air,  to  keep  them  in 
their  proper  wards,  to  isolate  one  disease  from  a different 
one,  to  give  the  hundreds  of  poor  souls,  now  unhelped, 
relief,  to  provide  proper  sanitation,  to  provide  a room 
where  an  operation  can  be  carried  on  with  some  reason- 
able degree  of  asepsis,  or  to  provide  a place  for  maternity 
cases. — /.  C.  King,  M.  D.,  Banza  Manteke,  Congo. 

Imagine  us  conducting  a forty-bed  hospital  and  dis- 
pensary in  less  floor  space  than  the  average  home  in  the 
United  States.  And  when  the  pressure  gets  too  strong 
at  some  point  we  add  a lean-to  or  knock  out  the  side  of 
a room  and  move  the  wall  farther  out.  We  had  so  many 
operative  cases  and  surgical  dressings  to  make  that  the 
one  operating-room  could  no  longer  accommodate  all  the 
cases ; many  cases  had  to  be  dressed  out-of-doors.  So  we 
built  a new  operating-room,  which  cost  $35.  Now  the  cry 
comes  from  the  hospital  cook  that  the  eight-by-ten  kitchen 
is  no  longer  big  enough  to  cook  for  forty  people. — H.  W. 
Newman,  M.  D.,  Ungkung,  South  China. 

The  sick  are  always  with  us.  At  times  there  is  no 
room  in  the  hospital,  the  ground  about  the  place  is 
crowded  at  night,  and  some  dozens  of  patients  too  sick  to 
sleep  out  in  the  night  have  to  return  to  the  villages  from 
whence  they  came,  without  being  helped.  A long  list  of 
names  fills  pages  of  a book ; these  are  patients  who  want  to 
be  operated  upon  as  soon  as  their  turn  comes,  but  turns 
come  slowly.  We  have  had  an  appropriation  for  a hos- 
pital for  three  years,  but  no  one  to  build  it;  we  are  wait- 
ing for  builders  from  home.  One  is  not  enough,  it  will 
take  one  several  years  to  complete  the  buildings  at  one 

[118] 


NEEDS  AND  OPPORTUNITIES 


station,  and  we  have  at  least  three  stations  in  dire  need. 
When  are  these  sick  to  be  cared  for? — J.  C.  King,  M.  D., 
Banza  Manteke,  Congo. 

The  women  nurses  have  no  place  except  with  the  matron 
in  a room  large  enough  for  only  four.  This  means  that 
the  women  nurses  never  have  a chance  to  get  away  from 
the  patients  unless  they  leave  the  hospital  compound. 
Until  last  year  we  did  not  have  regular  night  nurses  ex- 
cept in  the  men’s  department.  This  night  work  was 
cared  for  in  the  women’s  department  by  having  a nurse 
sleep  in  each  ward  and  get  up  at  the  call  of  patients. 
When  I found  that  one  night  a nurse  had  been  called 
sixteen  times,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  put  a woman 
nurse  on  night  duty.  But  w'here  was  she  to  sleep  during 
the  day?  This  was  a question  all  through  last  year  and 
is  still  a problem.  Is  it  right  for  us  to  expect  our  nurses 
to  keep  well  and  to  do  good  work  and  have  quiet,  sweet 
tempers  when  they  are  never  out  of  the  patients’  presence, 
never  have  the  opportunity  for  quiet,  nor  a place  where 
they  can  be  alone?  We  must  plan  to  have  nurses’  homes. 
— Alma  L.  Pittman,  Shaohsing,  East  China. 

The  great  need  for  a hospital  in  this  far-reaching  dis- 
trict of  the  Telugu  Mission  is  still  unmet.  Just  think  of 
having  to  send  a sick  person,  needing  immediate  skilled 
medical  aid,  a distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  miles  in 
a crowded  third-class  compartment  by  a slow  train,  before 
our  nearest  hospitals  can  be  reached ! — Rev.  John  New- 
comb, Cumhum,  South  India. 

The  people  have  been  looking  forward  to  our  getting 
into  our  new  hospital  buildings  with  almost  as  much  in- 
terest and  eagerness  as  we  have.  To  them  that  will  rep- 
resent the  opening  of  a new  era ; they  realize  that  your 
hospital  is  going  to  mean  life  and  health  to  hundreds, 

[119] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


and  as  time  goes  on  to  thousands  of  sick  and  suffering 
men,  women,  and  children  who  would  have  perished  in 
agonizing  tortures  were  it  not  for  the  love  of  Christ 
which,  through  your  hands  and  hearts,  has  reached  out 
to  India  and  built  this  hospital  for  them — this  hospital 
which  by  God’s  mercy,  is  going  to  bring,  not  only  health 
to  perishing  bodies,  but  healing  and  joy  and  life  and  light 
to  perishing  souls. — Rev.  J.  M.  Baker,  Ongole,  South 
India. 

The  Medical  Missionary’s  Opportunity  and  Reward 

What  is  the  opportunity  which  medical  mission- 
ary service  presents  to  young  men  and  women  to- 
day? Dr.  P.  H.  J.  Lerrigo,  in  his  remarkable  pam- 
phlet, “Where  Will  You  Practise?”  addresses  the 
following  searching  questions  to  the  thousands  of 
medical  students  looking  forward  to  a professional 
career : 

How  many  of  the  young  men  and  women  now  gradu- 
ating from  our  medical  schools  and  to  be  graduated  in 
increasing  numbers  in  coming  days,  will  ever  acquire  suffi- 
cient diagnostic  skill  to  use  readily  the  more  modem  in- 
struments of  precision? 

How  many  will  ever  be  able  to  develop  the  requisite 
delicacy  of  touch  and  familiarity  with  the  knife  to  remove, 
for  example,  an  enlarged  thyroid,  or  operate  upon  a cata- 
ract? 

How  many  will  gain  sufficient  ability  at  public  sanitation 
to  place  a city  under  an  adequate  quarantine  in  case  of 
cholera,  or  conduct  a State-wide  campaign  against  small- 
pox? 

How  many  will  ever  have  the  opportunity  and  requisite 
knowledge  to  design  plans  for  a hospital  and  administer 

[120] 


NEEDS  AND  OPPORTUNITIES 


the  hospital  both  financially  and  professionally  after  it 
is  built? 

How  many  will  ever  learn  to  recognize  an  intestinal 
parasite  under  the  microscope  or  perform  the  more  com- 
plex laboratory  tests  for  bacteriological  diagnosis? 

How  many  will  establish  a training-school  for  nurses  or 
have  part  in  the  teaching  force  of  a medical  college? 

How  many  will  ever  find  themselves  in  a situation  where 
the  multitude  of  strange  and  unfamiliar  diseases  around 
them  stimulates  to  original  research  work? 

Medical  missionaries  have  opportunities  such  as 
these  presented  to  them  practically  from  the  day  of 
their  arrival  on  their  respective  fields  of  service. 

And  what  is  the  medical  missionary’s  reward? 
Judging  by  financial  standards,  it  is  as  nothing  com- 
pared with  what  he  might  receive  in  America,  for 
he  is  paid  but  a modest  salary,  which  provides  an 
inexpensive  yet  sufficient  living  for  himself  and 
family.  His  compensation  is  isolation,  a lonely  resi- 
dence in  a strange  land  thousands  of  miles  from 
friends  at  home.  The  work  he  does  is  one  which  is 
undertaken  only  by  the  brave  and  those  willing  to 
sacrifice  themselves  for  the  welfare  of  others. 

It  is  a high  and  honorable  calling  to  which  he  is 
summoned.  His  reward  is  the  joy  of  banishing 
despair  from  multitudes  of  unhappy  faces;  of  re- 
moving pain  from  thousands  of  broken  bodies;  of 
reviving  innumerable  bruised  and  fainting  spirits; 
of  helping  entire  communities  to  cleaner  and  more 
sanitary  ways  of  living ; of  bringing  health  and  com- 
fort to  countless  sufferers;  and  above  all,  his  reward 

[121] 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING 


is  that  supreme  satisfaction  of  bringing  men  and 
women,  at  first  attracted  by  a yearning  for  physical 
healing,  to  a knowledge  of  the  true  God  as  revealed 
in  Jesus  Christ.  To  be  a follower  of  the  Great 
Physician  and  to  continue  his  ministry  of  healing  is 
one  of  the  noblest  callings  to  which  men  and  women 
may  dedicate  their  lives. 

The  ministry  of  healing  is  one  of  the  few  occupa- 
tions in  which  the  privilege  of  serving  is  also  its 
reward. 


[122] 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


A brief  list  of  books  for  general  reading  and 
mission  study. 

Cochran,  Jean  Carter,  “ Foreign  Magjc.”  1919. 
Missionary  Education  Movement,  New  York. 
$1.50. 

Dennis,  James  S.,  “ Christian  Missions  and  Social 
Progress.”  Vol.  II,  1899.  Fleming  H.  Revell 
Company,  New  York.  $2.50. 

Faunce,  W.  H.  P.,  “ The  Social  Aspects  of  Foreign 
Missions.”  1914.  Missionary  Education 
Movement,  New  York.  60  cents. 

Gamewell,  Mary  Ninde,  “ New  Life  Currents  in 
China.”  1919.  Missionary  Education  Move- 
ment, New  York.  50  cents. 

Franklin,  James  H.,  “Ministers  of  Mercy.”  1919. 
Missionary  Education  Movement,  New  York. 
50  cents. 

Mabie,  Catherine  L.,  “Our  Work  on  the  Congo,” 
1917.  American  Baptist  Publication  Society, 
Philadelphia.  15  cents. 

Montgomery,  Helen  B.,  “ The  King’s  Highway.” 
1915.  Central  Committee  on  United  Study  of 
Foreign  Missions,  West  Medford,  Mass. 

[125] 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Montgomery,  Helen  B.,  “ Following  the  Sunrise.” 
1913.  American  Baptist  Publication  Society, 
Philadelphia.  50  cents. 

Moorshead,  R.  Fletcher,  “ The  Appeal  of  Medical 
Missions.”  1913.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Com- 
pany, New  York.  $1.00. 

Smith,  Arthur  H„  “ The  Uplift  of  China.”  1912. 
Missionary  Education  Movement,  New  York. 
50  cents. 

“ A Crusade  of  Compassion  for  the  Healing  of  the 
Nations.”  1919.  Central  Committee  on  the 
United  Study  of  Foreign  Missions,  West  Med- 
ford, Mass.  35  cents. 

“ Our  Medical  Work  in  the  Orient.”  1919. 
Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission 
Society,  Boston.  10  cents. 

The  Guide  Book  of  the  American  Baptist  Foreign 
Mission  Society.  Issued  annually.  25  cents. 

“ Our  Work  in  the  Orient,”  an  annual  publication 
describing  the  work  of  the  Woman’s  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  Boston.  15 
cents. 


[126] 


i ■ V ■■ 


